The Generator and Gears
by KaliAnn
Summary: AU. Four months after the Nanite Event Rex is adopted by Holiday and Six. Fast forward five years, Rex is attempting to lead a normal life while hiding his powers from the world. Still the threat of Providence, the Pack, and others threaten the world. Can Rex truly ignore his sense of duty? Can he be both a normal teen and hero the world needs?
1. Operational

_First off, I wanted to say this story is independent of my previous Generator Rex fics. It is in no way related to them at all, but I do encourage you to click my name and read my previous stories. Second, I like to dedicate this story to ZigZaggy an author who inspired me to write a new GR fic with her story, "_Memory Rewind"_. I urge you all to read it considering how good it is. Lastly, I hope that you support my original work by asking your local library to carry or perhaps purchasing my book, "_Battle for the Stars". _Thank you and remember to review what you read._

* * *

_ He was bouncing up and down in his seat as the transport van hit another pothole. He looked around nervously at the other passengers. Some of them were looking pretty sick and a few were in restraints. Most of them were moaning or cursing in Cantonese so he couldn't understand them. One of the passengers took a swipe at him with a partially transformed hand._

_ "Ahh!" he yelped closing his eyes only to hear the sound of something metal blocking the attack. Opening his eyes he saw the man in green armor adjusting his sunglasses as the pretty lady in the lab coat knelt beside the little boy. "Are you alright? I'm sorry we have to ride back here, but there's no room in the cab for us. Don't worry Six and I will protect you."_

_ Rex smiled at both of them. He open his mouth to thank them when all of a sudden the transport started to shriek. He felt, rather than saw, the vehicle swerving around. Out of the tiny window he could see them heading straight for the side of a building. Everyone was being flung around as the two adults braced for impact by covering him. Some instinct told him to protect them as there was a loud..._

"Beep, beep, beep!" The persistent beeping of his alarm clock startled the teen as he sat up in bed frightened. He was tangled up in his sheets as he tried to get his breathing back under control. He felt rippling sensations throughout his body; similar to a thousand ants walking on him. He needed to calm down. He took a few deep breaths letting them out. The sensation in his skin stopped. "It was only a memory dream. It was only a memory dream." he whispered. Sweat was pouring down his face as he wiped it off. There was a knock on the door. "Yeah?"

The door opened a bit as a lady with dark brown hair and green eyes stuck her head into the room. "Time to get up Rex, you don't want to be late for your first day at school! Get ready and be downstairs in ten minutes if you want to have breakfast."

"Sure thing Mom, I'll be down soon don't worry." The door closed leaving the teen alone. The Latino teen took a deep breath before surveying his room. The room was decent size painted dark blue with an orange trim around the border. Sunlight shone through his two windows near his bed. The floors were hardwood with a few boxes scattered on them. The family had only moved here late Friday afternoon so they were still unpacking. He did have all his artwork on the walls already along with having his furniture (desk, bed, dresser and nightstand) set up the way he liked it. Most of his stuff was in place, he'd finish unpacking after school today. Right now he needed to see if there was anything clean in his closet.

Two adults were sitting at a remarkably moved in kitchen. While most of the rooms in the small two story white house were in a varies stages of completion the kitchen was finished. Holiday was sitting at the table dressed in a simple yellow blouse with a red skirt and knee high black boots. She was reviewing some paperwork as her husband, a man dressed in a green suit, brought over breakfast. "Pancakes and scrambled eggs? Is that fresh coffee to? Quite the culinary breakfast isn't it?"

"We're going to need our strength today if we're going to be dealing with my old friend. You think he would have gotten the message by now that we're not interested in joining Providence," Six said as he sat down at the table. He started chewing his food as he thought about all the reasons his family had against moving to Haven City. The two of them didn't want to be in Providence's backyard, not with the danger it posed to their little family. "I still think moving here was a bad idea."

"I know Six, but we're closer to my family and the chance to set up my own private lab in the old power plant, are good reasons to be here. Don't worry the two of us can keep Rex safe just as we've done for the past five years," Holiday said squeezing her husband's hand. The couple sat in silence for a few minutes before they heard someone coming down the steps towards the kitchen.

"Talking about me? Don't worry so much Dad. I'm more worried about attending a real school for the first time than Providence. Besides, I know the drill. I'm not going to expose myself, I promise," Rex said. He was dressed in his usual clothes with an orange backpack slung over one shoulder. He sat down to eat his breakfast trying not show how nervous he really was.

A short time later his parents dropped him off in front of Benjamin Franklin High School. After checking in with the front office Rex made his way through the hall jostled among the students. He was trying to keep his cool as he struggled to open his locker. He couldn't seem to get the lock opened. "Come on I don't want to be late. Ah why couldn't you be electronic?"

"Having a bit of trouble?" a voice said. Rex turned around to see a blond hair kid standing there. He smiled at Rex putting the teen at ease. "I had trouble my first day too. Let me show you how its done."

"Thanks, I've been home schooled the last few years and have no clue about anything. I'm Rex Hayashi," he said holding his hand out. The boy shook it never breaking eye contact.

"Noah Nixon, nice to meet you. So did you just move here?"

"Yeah. Um, think you can show me around? They gave me this schedule, but I have no idea where anything is."

"Sure, let me see that. Hmm, we're in most of the same classes. Come on I'll show you where homeroom is." Rex followed his new friend to homeroom. The two of them entered a nearby classroom filled with kids lounging in chairs chatting with one another. The teacher was sitting at the desk going over the attendance list and lesson plan. The two of them took their seats as the bell rang.

School was a lot harder then Rex thought it would be. First, he had to sit in homeroom listening to announcements and dealing with jerks flicking paper at his back for being the new kid. He did his best to ignore it by focusing inward like his dad taught him. It worked because soon he wasn't feeling the tiny hits. After homeroom his first period was Natural Science. He did well in that subject thanks to his mom's lessons. She was a real drill sergeant when it came to tutoring. Second period was English Lit which was harder for him because he wasn't really into literature. Reading works by Modernists and discussing the symbolism of the language was boring. He had more fun in third period Art class. He loved sketching and learning to ink his works. His teacher was impressed with his skill complimenting him on his eye for detail. It was fourth period that really gave him trouble.

It was Gym class and those same jerks were in it. They seemed annoyed they hadn't gotten a rise out of him in homeroom so they decided to make him their personal target during class. They had already tried to steal his clothes in the locker room only to be blocked by Noah. At the moment Rex stood next to Noah as the teacher divided them up into groups. "Listen up maggots its time to get your bodies into shape! Group one will do stretches, group two start climbing the ropes. Group three you're running laps and group four get to work on building those muscles. I want to see you sweating!"

"Which group are we in again?" Rex whispered, tugging at his gym uniform. The office had issued him one, but it was tight and giving him a wedgie. He wasn't very happy at the moment. He was also worried what might happen if he got _to_ competitive.

"Group three don't worry, running laps is easy. The worst that can happen is we'll smell groddy, but that's what the showers are for. Come on; the sooner we get this done the sooner we can get to lunch period. They're serving fish tacos today. Trust me they are great."

"I do love Mexican obviously. Okay let's get started. Bet I can run faster then you!" he took off running around the track. Noah laughed trying to catch him, but soon was falling behind. Rex's speed was unbelievable. His stride was excellent and he had good breath control. Noah had to stop after three laps to catch his breath. Rex smirked pleased he was better then Noah at this. "Hey, not my fault my Dad's been training me since I was ten! Maybe I'll invite you over for a training session sometime."

"Rex look out!" Noah shouted. Those jerks, who had been in the fourth group, decided to play a trick. The had filled a cart with weights and shoved it at the teen as hard as they could. Rex, who stopped in his tracks when he heard the shouting, got caught off guard as the cart struck him with full force. Noah watched in horror as his friend was sent flying. "REX!"

Rex's mind was racing as he was flying. He could feel his body urging him to change. His arms were starting to morph. "No, I can't blow my cover! Don't change, don't change, come on don't change owwwwwww!" Rex hit his head on some bleachers clutching his scrapped up arms. They were starting to bleed a little. Noah was running over to check on him while the gym teacher was shouting at the bullies telling them how much trouble they were in. Rex struggled to his feet, leaning on Noah. "I didn't know gym class could be so deadly."

"Normally it's not. Those skaters are the worst. They love picking on other kids for fun. Come on, let's get you to the nurse to check you over."

"You think she'll call my parents? They're at an important meeting today and can't be interrupted."

"I'm sure she won't need to. Hey, at least we're out of gym class," Noah laughed. Rex winced as he was guided to a small office. There were two cots, a small desk and a medicine cabinet. The nurse saw the injuries and got up. "What happened? I thought you kids weren't playing dodgeball today?"

"Some kids thought it would be funny to shove a cart full of weights at me. I'm fine really ow that stings!" Rex shouted. He felt his body trying to change as a result of his emotions. He mentally clamped down on his emotions not realizing he was squeezing Noah's hand to death until he heard his friend wail. "Sorry, I didn't mean to do that!"

"You've got some grip on you. Nice to know for the future. Is he going to be fine?"

"Just some scrapes and bump on the head. You'll live, but I would have your parents check on you tonight just in case. Why don't you guys head to lunch? The period's nearly over anyways," she said as she finished wrapping the bandages around his wrists. "Try to be more careful next time okay?"

The smells of spicy food and loud chattering greeted the two teens. After changing back to their regular clothes Noah led Rex into the cafeteria. He froze unsure of what to do surrounded by so many kids and adults. Noticing the panicked expression on his friend's face Noah helped him through the line telling him to avoid the mystery meat, but make sure to snag extra yogurt cups for desert. After paying for their meals he guide his new friend to a table in the corner where two girls were waiting for them. One was a cute blond wearing a purple blouse and dark pants. Chatting happily with her was a beautiful girl with coppery red hair and sparkling green eyes. She had a white jacket over a long sleeved blue shirt and jeans. Her face lit up and she kissed Noah on the cheek.

"I was beginning to think you were standing me up. Anne and I were going over our math homework. AP math is a lot harder then I imagined."

"Oh whose this guy? I remember seeing him in homeroom and Art class. You must be really good because Mrs. Sarver rarely complements new students on their work. Oh where are my manners? I'm Annie Jinxs oh sorry," Annie blushed. She had knocked her tray all over Rex covering him in fish tacos and salad. She got some napkins and tried to clean him before he told her to stop. He didn't want to end up with more food on him. Noah offered to get him some spare clothes he kept in his locker, but Rex said it was fine. After scraping the food off into a nearby trashcan the boys sat down and he properly met Noah's girlfriend Claire Bowman. Both she and Annie were really friendly and made him feel very welcomed.

"So Noah says you just moved here. Where are you from?" Clair asked curiously. She put her homework in her bag so she could give him her full attention.

"All over, my Mom's a freelance research scientist searching for a cure to the Nanite Event. She's been involved in a lot of different governments and solo projects. My Dad's an ex soldier for hire. He mostly trains others now to handle difficult situations or teaches a few self defense classes."

"That's so cool. My parents are accountants. So your parents are coming to work for Providence then?" Annie said. She leaned in a bit to close and fell off her chair. Laughing she accepted Rex's hand and got back on her seat. "Thanks."

"Your welcome, but we didn't move here because of Providence. My parents don't like Providence. They don't agree with their methods for handling EVOs or researching cures. Providence wants them to work for them, but my mom's finally gotten enough grant money to set up her own private research facility. She's met a lot of great people over the years who want to work with her. I can't wait to see her new lab. I'm sure dad's going to stock it with some of his toys he's collected over the years. He's really into being prepared for anything. Here, let me show you a picture of them."

They each took a turn passing a photo of ten year old Rex standing next to Holiday and Six. Judging from the background they were in Asia possibly some place in China. "I can tell how much you love one another, but you don't look like your parents."

"They adopted me when they didn't have to. I'll tell you more about that another time. Let's just enjoy lunch for now. I've got Home Ec, Trig, and lastly World Events after lunch. I'm not a very good cook, but I'm super good at trigonometry."

"We'll see after you survive a session with Mr. Buchiner. He's the toughest teacher in the whole school. Hey, want to hang sometime after school? We'd love to show you around town."

"Thanks, I'd like that. Maybe I'll invite my "aunt" along. Oh don't worry she's around our age. This is going to be the start of a great friendship," Rex said enthusiastically. He felt so good to belong for a change. He liked Noah a lot. The girls were funny, nice and smart. He wasn't sure he'd ever want to date Annie, but he thought her clumsiness was kind of cute. For the first time in five years he felt like a "normal" teen. Though as he munched on his fish taco he wondered if they still be his friend if they knew his secret. The one that his family had spent the past five years hiding from not only Providence, but the world.

* * *

While Rex was at school making friends his parents were getting the VIP tour of Providence. Neither of them were saying much as Captain Callan pointed out the different areas of building. Six kept his expression stoic, but Holiday was frowning a bit. The never ending white halls and harsh lighting was depressing. They had just entered the garage filled with different transports. "As you can see we've upgraded our vehicle selection in the last year. Not only do we have the Keep as our main transport along with our smaller flyers, we've upgraded our tanks and smaller personal vehicles. The weapons systems on the larger transports include cannons, lasers, and we've recently upgrade to rapid fire guns. I personally think we might have overdone it on the smaller personal transports. They tend to have issues staying upright during high speed maneuvers."

"Well if they weren't loaded down by so many weapons maybe that wouldn't happen," Holiday remarked. "You've shown us the personal living quarters, training facilities, central command and now the garage. When do I get to see your research facilities and holding areas for the EVOs? Are you still continuing dissections with Dr. Fell even after that incident two years ago?"

"You mean when White Knight got bleached barely surviving the malfunction in the old lab? Yeah Dr. Fell is still here, but he's not allowed to perform dissections on such a grand scale anymore. I'll show you the captives holding area. We've put the animals and plants into our wildlife area. In the last year we've constructed prisons for the human EVOs that are more secure. Some of the human EVOs retain their faculties after transforming so they have to be restrained," Captain Callan explained as he led the two of them into a different part of the building. He entered a code into a pad on the wall. The metallic door whooshed open as a calliope of screams could be heard.

Six found himself keeping his wife on her feet as she looked in horror at the cells. Many of the cells were overcrowded with four or five prisoners inside them. The EVOs had muzzles on their faces and collars around their necks that they were trying to remove. When they did that they received a nasty shock that left them smoking. Cameras monitored their every movement as guards harassed them using their weapons freely on them. There were no beds, bathroom facilities or comforts at all. It was high tech concentration camp. "Rebecca, its okay. Rebecca, can you hear me? Rebecca!"

"Oh what the Six? I'm sorry this place it's just horrible," she whispered to him as she leaned into his body. He stroked her hair reassuring her it would be okay. Captain Callan watched the exchange puzzled by what had gotten the lady so upset. Clearing his throat he got their attention. "I understand that the conditions here are harsh, but we don't have another choice. There's no way we can let them run free. It's the same in the Petting Zoo area."

"Why haven't you been studying them in a natural environment to understand the effects of the nanites? Have you even attempted to stabilize the nanites in the EVOs or reverse engineer the active power in the human ones? I sent Providence my prototype cure gun months ago. In the incidences I've used in I've had a 75 percent success rate with returning EVOs back to normal. I gave you my prototype to see if you could mass produce it or improve upon it. Let me guess; Dr. Fell hasn't even bother to look at my research and gun."

"I'm not involved with Dr. Fell's work so I can't tell you for sure. What I can tell you is I'm hoping that if you come to work here you can change things around here. Hold on," Captain Callan pressed her ear com listening to the message. He nodded and turned to his guests. "I've been instructed to get you some lunch then escort you to White Knight's office for your one on one meeting. If you'll follow me please."

"I can't believe this place Six, its worse then I imagined. Providence has no interest in solving the Nanite Crises. They rather just capture or kill as many EVOs as possible while sitting on their asses doing nothing. The agents here are nothing more then empowered enforcers for a mob!"

Six didn't know how to respond to that. He understood Providence mindset because of his past as a mercenary. He recalled how he hadn't cared about anything or anyone. He just did his mission, accepted payment, and moved on to the next one. He remembered partnering up with White Knight after leaving The Six behind. It was their test mission to Hong Kong that changed him in more ways then one. As he entered the cafeteria he felt a memory surface as he looked at the prepackaged food being served.

_"I know its hard for hired muscle such as yourself to understand, but killing EVOs and blowing up neighborhoods isn't what I signed up for on this mission Six," Holiday told him coldly. He had met the vibrant, eager, and determined young woman from the Doctors without Borders group a week ago. In the time spent in Hong Kong studying the rapid transformations of many of the lower class citizens he noticed it was Holiday who was most interested in treating and curing people. She would go out of her way to help people, using her free time to treat sick civilians. She was so full of hope and optimism, something rare around this operation._

_ "I understand that Holiday, but in case you haven't noticed I'm not like the rest of the protection detail either. I joined this test mission to see if working for Providence would give me a sense of fulfillment. Like you I want a cure to this madness," Six said softly. He looked at his reflection in his katana as he thought about his foster father One. Would he approve of Six's actions now? _

_ Holiday looked at him with a new found respect. She was about to ask him more when they heard a rustling followed by a clattered coming from the food tent. A small figure was running from the tent only to stumble on a broken pipe crashing into an alley. The two made their way over where Six held his sword to the throat of a frightened and grubby looking ten year old._

_ The small boy dropped the sandwich he'd stolen and looked at him with fear in his eyes. "Por favor, no me hagan daño mister! I mean I didn't mean to steal from you, but I'm starving!"_

_ "Six, put that weapon away your scaring him. Its okay, my name's Holiday and this is Six. What's your name? Where are your parents?" _

_ The little boy sniffed trying to look tough, but failing miserably. "My name's Rex and that's all I know. I don't remember anything else."_

Six was brought out his memory as he felt someone tap his shoulder, "Six? Are you okay?" his wife asked him. He nodded looking at his half eaten sandwich. Not hungry he threw it away as they headed to White Knight's office. It was time to meet up with his old friend. The couple followed Captain Callan into a sparse white room where a huge video screen was set up. White Knight's face was plastered on it and standing below it was an annoyed looking Dr. Fell. Holiday narrowed her eyes at the man as they were introduced again.

"Thank you for your services Captain Callan, your dismissed. So after five years we meet again Six. After working together on the Malaysia mission I thought I had a grasp on who you were. Never in a century would I have suspected you to abandon the cause for something a mundane as marriage and family. How's the brat doing?"

"Our son's name is Rex White as I'm sure you remember. I also didn't abandon the cause, I just found another way to contribute to the on going fight."

"Yes, helping teaching civilians and government groups how to fight EVOs is a worthy job. I suspect your wife has something to do with that. Still taking the high road I see Holiday. You never were one to make the sacrifices necessary to achieve scientific discovery."

"If you mean I don't dissect every breathing creature or treat sick patients as humanely as possible, then I'm glad I struck out on my own!"

"Enough all of you! This isn't getting us anywhere. I invited you both here today for a reason. As you're well aware in the last two years Providence has been losing public approval. Our funding from our founders has been cut a few times. While they approve of most or our mandate they are very interested in your work Holiday. After your success with the hidden Engineer Village and curing Meechum in New York they've asked me to extend an invitation to you to join Providence Research team. This offer also extends to you Six. Your skills could go a long way into better preparing our troops," White Knight explained. He pressed a button on his desk. Out of the tower a shelf appeared with folders on them.

The couple reviewed the material as they looked over the job description, details on Providence missions and data on their research. The folders were detailed and recently update with information on the couples exploits over the last five years. Thankfully, there wasn't much on their son other then the basics. Holiday finished her packet first setting it back down on the shelf while Six carefully read information about Providence enemies including Van Kliess and the Pack. While they had never directly encountered him during their travels they were aware of him. His group had attempted to sabotage their work a few times. He feared what would happen if he ever learned about Rex's abilities.

"It's a generous offer, but we're going to have to decline. Don't give us that look you can't force us to work for Providence. I don't care what you think you have over us the answer is still no. Besides, I'm a week away from my own personal research facility going online. Our connections have financed us not to mention supplied it with all the technology and materials I'd need. Some of the people we've met along our travels have agreed to come work with me. You might be familiar with some of them because they quit Providence."

"Listen here Dr. Holiday..."

Six unfolded his katanas bringing them to Dr. Fell's throat daring him to say something disrespectful about his wife. Dr. Fell stared at him in terror not knowing what to do. Six put his weapons away, grabbed the doctor by his lab coat and threw him out of the office. He glared up at his old friend, a tick forming behind his sunglasses. "Here's how its going to work White. My wife and I agree to be on retainer as consultants for Providence. We'll help you with world crises and share our findings with you. In fact we'll take some of the animals and plant EVOs off your hands. Rebecca's set up her own Petting Zoo to study them naturally to find a complete cure. We'll even take those transports you were going to mothball if you want. In exchange you leave us alone, don't try to force us to do anything or bother our son. He deserves a normal life after traveling with us so much. Do we have a deal?"

White Knight had a large frown on his face. He was not pleased by these events at all. He had nothing he could use as leverage to force the duo to work for him short of kidnapping their kid. He didn't even want to think about how many ways Six would kill him if he did that. Besides, he could always steal their research to further Providences agenda and he still had Meechum in his back pocket. With a nod he agreed to their terms. As the couple left he could only shake his head at how far his old friend had fallen.

* * *

A week passed relatively quickly. The little family seemed to be adjusting to living in one place for the foreseeable future. The couple found themselves at the Plant every day as they worked to finish setting up the lab and prepare it for operational uses. Meanwhile, Rex was finding himself as a high school student. He had found his niche in Noah's group becoming best friends with the blond. He liked hanging out with the girls even though Annie's clumsiness nearly killed him a few times. He was really starting to open up to them; sharing his interests with them, such as the comic he was creating, or telling them about his travels. Still he kept his secrets close to his heart afraid of what would happen if they learned the truth about him.

It was Monday afternoon and Noah plus the girls were waiting for Rex at the Snake Shake. He had gone to pick up his "aunt" at the bus stop before hooking up with them. The three friends were very interested in meeting her as she was the first family member they'd been introduced to. For some reason Rex was afraid of inviting them to his house or meeting his adoptive parents.

"Don't you think it's a little strange that we haven't met Rex's folks yet? I get that they're busy setting up their lab and all, but at the very least we should get see his house. What's he afraid of that I'll wreck it? Oops sorry!" Annie said as she slipped on a fallen napkin, bumped into the table and sent the condominiums flying all over the place. "I really need to work on getting that under control."

"You'll get it don't worry. As for Rex, I'm sure he'll invite us to his house soon enough. He's just nervous considering he's not use to staying in one place so long," Claire commented. She took a sip of her soda watching the door. It opened as Rex walked in with a girl about eighteen or nineteen. She was wearing a pink tank top and blue jeans. She had a tablet tucked under her arm and was talking animatedly with Rex. Claire waved them over. "Hi Rex, so this is your aunt?"

"Don't call me that it makes me feel old. My name's Beverly Holiday. I'm a freshman at Progressive Tech Community College. I'm majoring in Communications and Web Design. I live with my folks in the next town over to save money. Let me guess your Claire, Annie, and Noah. A pleasure to meet all of you," she said shaking their hands. The two of them sat down and started enjoying their burgers and fries.

"So Beverly, what's it like having Rex as a nephew? Do you have any juicy stories you want to tell us about him?" Noah asked. He ducked to avoid having a napkin thrown at him by Rex. Propping his hands on the table he waited. "Don't be like that Rex. We just want to know more about you."

"Yeah well there are some things that are private Noah is all," Rex mumbled. He looked pointedly at Beverly. She glared at him giving him a playful shove. She knew what he was worried about and honestly did he think she betray him after what he did for her? Blowing a strand of hair out of her face she tapped her tablet until she opened a photo album. She scrolled through the images until she stopped at one. Turning the tablet over she showed the teens a photo taking at a wedding. Six, for a change, was in a black tux holding Holiday in his arms. She was wearing a simple lace dress with a birdcage veil. Standing next to her in a one shoulder purple bridesmaid dress was a younger version of Beverly. Rex, who was dressed in a brown suit, stood next to Six making peace signs at the camera.

"This is the first time I met Rex; at my sister's wedding no less. I had to be only twelve. You can imagine my parents shock because up to that point my big sis had been to busy with work to settle down. We knew that she had adopted a kid and was engaged, but it wasn't until the wedding we actually met them. You should have seen how my dad squirmed when he met Six. It was hilarious wasn't it Rex? Rex, hey where did he go?" The four teens looked up surprised that the latino wasn't in sight. They looked around furiously until Annie, knocked Noah into the next table, as she pointed out the window.

"Sorry, hey what's he doing? Do we know that girl?" she asked. Outside in the parking lot Rex was standing protectively in front of girl with black and red hair in a grubby, thin, black coat. She seemed to be arguing with him as he three thugs moved towards them. Rex stood his ground blocking the first idiot's punch. He then twisted the guy's arm flinging him into dumpster. The other two rushed him as he side stepped their attacks. He seemed to dance around them blocking and attacking at the same time. The girl called out a warning as he flipped them over his shoulder into the dumpster. Brushing his hands off on his knee he looked at the girl talking to her. She seemed nervous and upset trying to get away, but he grabbed her arm talking animatedly to her. He seemed to be trying to convince her to come into the restaurant with him.

"Oh boy, he's trying to help another street kid for his karma project." The teens looked at Beverly confused so she elaborated. "You'll have to ask Rex for the full story, but he was living on the streets when my sister found him. Ever since he was adopted he's tried to help street kids find a safe home." The door opened and the friends looked up as Rex, nervously guided a skeptical face girl towards the table.

"Everyone, this is Circe Warren. Circe this is everyone. She's a bit down on her luck and I was hoping we could help her get a decent meal. Do you like cheeseburgers?"

"I'll have two and chocolate shake please. Thanks Rex, you really didn't have to do this," she said as she sat down next to Claire who gave her some of her fries to eat. Circe was looking a bit thin and had some dirt on her face. She seemed exhausted as if she'd been on the run for awhile. Rex came back with two cheeseburger and shake which she started devouring with gusto. Wiping the crumbs off her face she stared at the floor to avoid their quizzed eyes. "Sorry, I just haven't eaten in awhile, been to busy running."

"Hey, its okay don't worry about it. So, I'm Claire, that's Annie and Beverly. This is my boyfriend Noah and you've met Rex." Claire held out her hand and Circe shook it hesitantly. She seemed quite scared glancing out the windows quite a few times. She jumped a bit when Claire placed a hand on her shoulder. "Hey don't worry so much. Do you have someone we can call for you or a place to stay for the night? I've got a guest room in my house."

"That's kind of you, but I don't want to be any trouble. My parents threw me out of the house and I've been chased by these weird guys for awhile. I don't know why, but I don't want to drag you into my troubles. I'll be okay on my own really." Before Claire could protest the electricity went out in the place. The sounds of screams were heard as the earth began to shake. Circe's eyes widen in horror as a grotesque giant lizard with cavernous bumps erupted from the street. Cars crashed into one another or the buildings. The EVO flitted its tongue out searching for a scent. Its red eyes narrowed on the Snack Shake as it marched destructively towards the building.

"We need to get out of here now! Come on let's go! Circe, come on!" Rex begged grabbing her arm, but she shoved him to the floor. The roof of the building was torn off as patrons ran for their lives. Noah had gotten the other girl's out of the front door before it collapsed. Annie had already called for Providence, but they were being held up by another EVO attack down town and would be delayed for several minutes. That was minutes that Circe and Rex didn't have as the beast continued to claw at them trying snatch Circe.

"We need to crawl towards the back door. Make a run for it," Rex said as he pulled Circe towards the door. She was resisting him dragging her feet. "Stop that, we need to get out of here now!"

"No, you need to get out of here. That thing is after me. If I give myself up to it maybe it will leave you alone."

"That's crazy Circe you can't take that thing on by yourself!" Rex shouted. A swipe of the tail shoved him into the kitchen nearly getting scorched by the hot stove. As he pulled himself through the door back towards the action he saw something extraordinary. Circe was using a second mouth of some sort to hit the EVO with sonic attacks. The beast backed off withering in pain before coming at her again. She jumped out a window ignoring the cuts from the glass. She called at the beast trying to lure it to an abandon construction site next door. The EVO let out a bellow chasing after her.

"Come on you stupid monster, come on I'm right here rooooooooooaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaarrrrrrrrrrrr!" Circe shouted firing another blast. She was hoping to find a frequency to make the creature fall asleep. Not having any luck she climbed the fence into the construction yard running past the machinery. She could hear the beast getting closer and closer ready as she rolled under a cement truck. Her cover was ripped off as she stumbled backwards. As she got up to run she found herself unable to her. Her leg was caught in on the beams. The Lizard EVO opened in maw wide coming at her to swallow her. She closed her eyes afraid to look.

"NO! Leave her alone!" Rex voice rang out. There was a crunch followed by a loud thud and metallic ringing. Opening her eyes she stared in disbelief. Rex's legs were covered in some kind metal amor that he was using to kick the Lizard's hide. The EVO turned standing on two legs and coming after him with his front claw which he intercepted with his Smack Hands crushing them. Pinning the beast down he demorphed one hand placing it on the creature's chest. "Come on please be human be human." His eyes lit up a light blue and weird sound was heard as the creature started to morph. With in seconds an unconscious man in street cloths lay there. Rex got up after making sure the guy was breathing. He slowly walked over to Circe helping her out of the trap. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, how did you do that?"

"Yeah, how did you do that Rex? What are you exactly?" Turning around Rex saw all his friends looking at him with awe and confusion. Maybe even a little fear. The teen tried to run, but Circe held him in place telling him it would be okay. Hearing the sounds of Providence coming Rex made a decision. "We need to clear out of here fast. If you want the back story come to my house. I've got some explaining to do." By the time Providence arrived there was no sign of teens or any useable evidence of what had happened.

* * *

Twenty minutes later the teens found themselves in Rex's living room. The room was fairly sized. In the corner was a flat screen tv with a Wii game system and surrounded sound stereo. The couches, end tables, and small rug had an Asian look to them. On the walls or shelves were curio items collected during the family's world travels. Annie, Claire, and Noah sat down on the couch while Beverly and Circe took the small futon. After Rex retrieved a photo album from one of the bookcases, he sat down on the armchair. "So, what do you want to know?"

"I want to know how long you've been an EVO. How did you manage to keep it a secret like that? When I turned three months ago it took me two weeks to hide my transformation. I never thought I'd meet someone like me. Do your parents know you're an EVO?"

Rex nodded his head. "Its the reason they adopted me and kept us on the move for the past five years." Seeing their confused expression the teen sighed. "Alright, this is going to take some time so I'll start at the beginning Try to not interrupt to much okay?" The others nodded scooting up in their seats. They were all very curious to know Rex's back story. Rex opened the photo album showing them the first picture. It was in Hong Kong, ten year old him was sitting in tent eating noodles as Holiday tried to wipe the dirt off his face. "This photo was taken the day I met my parents about four months after the Nanite Event. It was the first time I remember someone caring for me. You see, I have retrograde amnesia. I don't have any memory of before the Nanite Event."

"Really, you have no childhood memories at all? Nothing about who you were or what happened to your family? That's awful," Annie said, a look of pity on her face. She couldn't imagine not being able to remember her past. The others had similar looks on their faces. "What is the first thing you do remember?"

"Waking up in a crater under a red sky with smoke choking the air. I don't know where I was exactly or what happened. All I know is that there were monsters, EVOs, all over the place. They were coming after me. I was terrified screaming for my life. Something happened to me; some sort of blue glow and a weird sound. Its kinda of fuzzy. All I know is that I took off running for my life. It took me a week to reach civilization by then I was starving and dehydrated. I managed to get to a shelter of some sort before passing out. I came to sometime later where someone gave me food and water. That's when I learned about the Nanite Event and people turning into EVOs."

"So why didn't you stay at the shelter? Surely someone would have been looking for you. At the least you would have been taken care of," Noah pointed out logically. His best friend shook his head. His eyes widened as he watched Rex place his hand on Beverly's tablet. Instantly the device turned on and started playing music without a single flick of Rex's fingers. "How did you?"

"It was the first power I discovered about myself. Mom calls it technopathy; I can talk to machines and computers so to speak. I wanted desperately to tell someone, to get help, but after seeing how EVOs were regarded I knew I was on my own. I left the shelter after breaking into the office. I used my ability to see if anyone was looking for me, but found nothing. I spent the next four months just trying to stay alive. It was hard living on the streets. No one wanted to help me and I was struggling with my growing powers. Parts of my body would start to morph then stop. I knew I needed some kind of help, but I was too afraid to approach anyone. I somehow ended up in Hong Kong where I stumbled across a mixed group of Doctors Without Borders, Providence scientists and soldiers, along with a few unaligned soldiers working in the slums. From listening to them I understood they were studying EVO transformations to see if there was a connection between ethnicity, location, or level of health. I knew it was a risk, but at that point I was willing to trust someone."

"You must have been so frightened if these pictures are any indication. You seem happy though with your parents. So you found your folks and judging by these photos they were taking people to the hospital on transports correct? So what happened between the ride to the hospital and being adopted? The next batch of pictures shows you in the hospital being treated without any explanation," Circe said as she looked at the photos.

"The convoy was attacked by a mobster EVO named Quarry according to my Dad. After Quarry caused the crash I pulled my parents out of the wreckage with my Smack Hands before passing out. They told me what happened next." He was quite for a few minutes as he collected his thoughts. Getting encouraging looks from his friends he related what he'd been told.

_It was total chaos as power downed power lines sparked. There was smoke and fires everywhere. The convey transports were smashed or turned over. Most of Providence agents were severely injured or dealing with the escaping prisoners. Their attackers seemed organized EVOs who were using a combination of powers and guns to try to control the situation. _

_ Six, dazed from the crash, checked Holiday's neck for a pulse. It was strong as she started to wake up. Both were amazed they hadn't been injured or that they had been dragged out of the carnage by a little kid. They heard coughing and whimper. Their eyes widened as they saw Rex sitting next to him. He had a large gash to his forehead that was bleeding profusely, but that wasn't what drew their attention. His hands resembled large metallic fists that were now retracting back inside him. "I'm glad your okay. I was worried about you..." he whispered before passing out. _

_ "Well that's a surprise," a voice cackled. The two adults took up a protective stance as a man made of rock appeared. Six's eyes narrowed as he saw the man eyes latch onto the boy behind him. "The name is Quarry. I attacked the convoy in order to get more soldiers for my empire. I'd never imagine I come across an EVO who could pass for human or with such interesting powers. That kid would help me control all of Hong Kong, maybe even expand my empire. I'd appreciate it if you handed him over."_

_ "Your not getting Rex you creep!" Holiday snarled. Six didn't bother to mince words. He snapped into action running up the side of the building, doing a flip and striking out with his katanas. The man stood there letting the swords strike him. They didn't even make a dent. Chuckling he drew back his fist and punch Six right in the gut causing him to go down. _

_ "You think your puny little swords are going to hurt me? I'm made of inorganic material! Nothing can hurt me!" he laughed. He was still laughing as Holiday shot him with a discarded gun from one of the down agents. He came after her, but she had already scooped up Rex and was running for her life. Quarry came after her, but Six had recovered. The mercenary and mobster were locked in battle._

_ Six was ruthless as he cut, kicked, and used every technique One taught him to defend his friends from harm. The EVO was agile and his reflexes inhuman for his transformation. Quarry's attacks were hurting him even as he dodged about avoiding painful hits. It seemed that there was no stopping him as he was caught in a crushing embrace. "Time to squeeze the life out of you. Then I'll just kill the lady and take the kid."_

_ "Six, the acid! Use it!" Holiday shouted. She had left Rex in a door alcove before running over to help him. She had tried to use a needle with a sedative to break through his tough skin, but it didn't work. However it was distraction enough for Six to break free. There was battery acid from the cars pooling on the ground. Quickly coating his blades on the acid he brought them both together before slicing Quarry left eye off his head. _

_ "I suggest you leave or I'll take your head off next," Six told him calmly. Growling Quarry ordered his men to retreat; taking the newly formed EVOs with them. Sheathing his swords he helped Holiday to her feet. They needed to get Rex to a hospital fast so they commandeered a rickshaw. _

_ It was three hours later and the two of them found themselves sitting by the unconscious boy's hospital bed. The doctors had been amazed at how fast Rex was recovering from the crash. His blood loss had been minimal from his wound. Holiday theorized his nanites gave him advanced healing. The question was what to do next. If they left Rex here he'd be put in an orphanage, or worse, handed over to Providence once his powers were discovered. They had talked about becoming Rex's legal guardians, but were unsure if they could handle raising a kid while trying to work out the details of their new relationship. _

_ Their musings ended when someone barged into the room without knocking. "Hey partner I heard that you managed to nearly kill one of those monstrosities. Wish I had been there to help take care of those mindless EVOs, but I got stuck trying to defend the camp from mob enforcers interested in our tech. I managed to subdue them pretty well after the inital attack. They won't be bothering anyone for awhile. So, why are you and the lady here anyways? Something happened to the runt?" _

_ Holiday's eyes flashed as she stood up to her full height and getting in White's face. "That runt has a name; its Rex. He risked his life to get us out of the car wreckage. He deserves your respect!"_

_ "Cry me a river lady, that punk is just a worthless street kid looking for a free meal. If you let your bleeding heart rule you then you'll never make it in Providence. We're going to contain or capture as many EVOs as it takes to experiment on. I heard that one guy Doctor Fell, is building a molecular dissection machine. Can't wait to see that in use, what about you partner? Providence is ready for both of us."_

_ Six was quite for a moment as he thought about everything that had happened. He'd risked his life for that kid because he owed him. Was he really obligated to continue looking after him knowing he could become a monster at any moment? He wondered what One would do. He wanted to smack himself as he knew what his father would say. Taking Holiday's hand in his they both presented a united front to White Knight. "Tell Providence thank you for the offer, but I have other priorities. I'm going to use my connections to help Holiday and myself become Rex's parents."_

_ White Knight sputtered in disbelief and anger. He was gripping his gun so hard it looked like the handle would crack. "Six, think about this! Your throwing your life away for some runt and a bleeding heart. Do you really think that a mercenary can take care of a kid?"_

_ "He won't be alone, I'll help him. You can also tell Providence that I refuse to work with them. I've decided to strike out on my own to find a cure. Now get out of our son's room or we'll have security escort you." Frowning White Knight left as the two new parents waited for their kid to wake up._

"That's an amazing story. So your parents risked a lot for you. From these pictures you've been all over the world. So did they help you with your powers? What was it like being raised by them?" Circe asked.

"It was tough; especially with my powers continuing to grow. They didn't even let Mom's parents know at the wedding seven months later I was an EVO. They wouldn't have ever learned if we hadn't come back for a visit on Beverly's thirteenth birthday."

"I'll take over Rex. Here look at the power point presentation I made," she said opening up a special triple guarded file. It showed them at a birthday party blowing out candles and exchanging gifts. There were photos of Rex and Beverly playing with her friends. Then the images changed to after the party when they were cleaning up. There was a photo of Beverly turning gray and her body starting to change. The next image showed Rex placing his hands on her, his eyes glowing blue as lines appeared on his arms. The next image was him passed out as a normal Bev stood over him. "Rex can cure EVOs, at least most of the time. He's still learning to handle animal and plants. He's successful a lot with humans, but some can't be cured. I would have been incurable if he didn't stop the process mid transformation. He forced them to listen to him though he suffered for it. He was unconscious for two days."

"Wow you're so amazing Rex! You have powers, your parents are cool, and it seems like you've had quite the life. Thanks for sharing with us," Annie exclaimed. She tripped over the coffee table as she got up sending a vase flying. Instead of a crash they heard someone clearing their throat. They all turned looking sheepishly as Holiday and Six stood there, unreadable expressions on their faces. Clearly they were not happy about the situation.

Rex stood up quickly looking sheepishly at them. "Mom, Dad I can explain..." Six silenced him with a stare. The ex mercenary turned his attention to the teens who were shrinking under his intense gaze. Holiday had grabbed her sister by the arm taking away her tablet. She looked absolutely furious with Beverly. Her sister was trying to wrench her arm free protesting that she hadn't done anything wrong.

"I don't want to hear it Beverly. I told you before about the sensitivity of Rex's secrets; stressing the importance of keeping them. I didn't expect you to have evidence where anyone could find it."

"Please, like anyone can break my code. I'm a hacker remember?"

"We'll talk about that later," Holiday hissed angrily. She turned to the frightened teens giving them a small smile. "It's nice to meet Rex's friends although I wish the circumstances were better."

"You don't have to worry about us telling anyone about Rex's secret. We're not snitches you can trust us," Noah stated holding up his hands to show them he didn't mean any harm. The others chimed in that they felt the same way. Circe was about to show them her powers to convince them of their sincerity when they were interrupted by Six calmly clearing his throat and stepping closer to the furniture. He casually removed his katanas from his sleeves making everyone sweat.

"For now we'll have to trust you, but I suggest that you all go home. We have to talk with Rex. You can see him tomorrow. Just remember that if you have loose lips you might not have them for very long." Understanding his veiled threats the kids said goodbye to Rex hurrying out the door with Claire grabbing Circe's arm saying she could come over to her house until tomorrow. Once they were gone Six removed his sunglasses folding them into his suit pocket. He gestured for Rex to sit down as he and Holiday took up seats on the couch. Rex wouldn't even meet his eyes staring at the floor, his hands folded on his lap. One could feel the teen's emotions of fear and disappointment coming off him in waves. "Do you want to explain why we had to hear about an EVO causing a rampage in a construction yard only to be found cured with no one in sight?"

"The EVO was going to kill Circe; I had to do something! The power was out and there were no witnesses besides my friends. I was careful to keep the damage to a minimum. Providence wasn't even close I had to do something!"

"You could have called the police or even used the construction equipment to trap it. Do you realize how dangerous it was to use your builds? I'm proud that you cured the person; every cure is a good thing, but you took unnecessary risks. Rex, we've gone over this a dozen times. You know what will happen if Providence figures out you're an EVO."

"Don't you think I know that Mom? I've had to live in constant fear for five years knowing what could happen if someone learned the truth. I know the risks and sacrifice you and dad have made over the years; that I'm the reason we've never stayed in one place for more then five weeks. That you had to fabricate results about your cure guns or why dad hasn't gone to visit his family in so long!" Rex yelled, his voice rising as he looked up tears threatening to spill shocking his parents. "I understand and appreciate the sacrifices you've made so I could have a normal life. I love being normal, going to school and making friends. At the same time though you raised me with a sense of duty to others. What was the point of all this training to control my powers if I don't use them to help people? Helping Circe out was the right thing to do. I'm sorry I broke the rules, but I don't know how much longer I could have lied to my friends." The teen wiped the tears off his face, got up and headed to his bedroom leaving his parents alone.

Once upstairs, he pulled out his journal. It had been his first gift from his parents to celebrate his adoption. As he opened the leathery cover he traced the messy handwriting with his hands. Doodles of his builds darted the margins. He opened to a random page rereading about his excitement of completing his first build, the Smack Hands. He flipped to another entry this time about the whale watching trip they had gone on when he was thirteen. He could still smell the sea air attached to the pages as he had written about how the pod hadn't treated its EVO members any different. Another entry described how happy he was learning to fight from his dad or helping his mom out with her experiments. He loved his parents dearly and understood why they were upset. They feared losing him as much as he did of them. There was a knock on his door. "Come in, the door's open."

The two parents took up seats on the bed or desk. They both had solomen looks on their faces. "Rex; we're very proud of you and love you very much. We know that you hate hiding your powers. Maybe it was inevitable that someone would learn the truth. Gladly your friends accept you and we trust them to keep your secret. However this impulsive habit of yours to be a hero has to be curbed somewhat so to speak. So your mom and I have come up with a compromise if you're willing to hear us out." Rex nodded wondering what they had in mind.

* * *

The next day the teens all assembled at the old power plant where Holiday had set up base naming it Hope. They were all wide eyed and dumbstruck as they were given the tour of the place. It was water powered, with state of the art research labs, a fully functional medbay, and a garage full of different vehicles ranging from a heavy duty transport to cycles. They also had a command center along with guest quarters for the scientists to rest in if they were too tired to make it home at night. The crowning achievement of the base was a two story area with filled with trees, plants, and small pond. Inside the area animal EVOs ran around free as a few plant EVOs could be seen teasing them.

"This is incredible sis; you actually created a zoo and here I was thinking you couldn't manage something like this. After all you killed your garden plant when you were younger."

"Very funny Beverly. The Petting Zoo is a great achievement because scientists like my friend Dr. Rhodes can study the EVOs naturally to learn from them. I also have an agreement with a friend named Valentina that they will be treated as humanly as possible. I've agreed to release them back into the wild after a few weeks of study." It had been an uphill fight with Valentina on this issue. She was an environmentalist who worked on sabotaging Providence bases and setting EVOs free. During their travels in Mexico they had come across the woman and her Green Fist team helping her treat injured EVOs. Valentina wasn't big on EVOs being caged for any reason, even if it was for passive research. She agreed to be part of Hope's extend team if the animal EVOs were released after three weeks of study promising to provide Holiday with her own observations.

"Can't believe you actually got Valentina to cave into that. Still if you managed to convince Jacob and his family to join your research here I'm not surprised," Rex commented. The teens followed his mom as she continued the tour until they ended up in the security room. Sitting at the table munching on caviar was a chimp in cloths wearing a fez. "Hey, what's a chimp doing in the security office?"

"The name's Bobo Haha punk and I'm running this joint. It's nice that my skills are finally being appreciated," Bobo remarked, shocking the teens with his speech. "What's the matter? Never seen a talking chimp before? Tch, here I thought this place would be better than Providence. Do you guys know how to play poker?"

Six gave Bobo a look silencing him. A tick was forming on his head. When White Knight had transferred some of the EVOs he insisted that they take this one. Bobo was destructive, manipulative, and above all a pain in the ass. Still, he had his uses so they'd offered him the job of being head of security in exchange for caviar and free run of the base. He'd also be a big help in the surprise for the group of friends.

"I'll play poker with you later, got to tell you I'm a bit of a card shark," Noah informed him. He had to admit the tour of the facility had been interesting, but he still didn't get why they were here. He thought for sure that Rex's dad would have done something to them by now to ensure their silence. Scratching the back of his head he asked them. "So why did you bring us here? Rex mentioned something about a compromise about us and his heroics the other day."

"Follow us, we have something to show you," Six replied curtly. They followed him through the twisting corridors until they came to a maintenance closet. It was a tight fit with all the mops, shop-vac, and cleaning supplies. Ignoring the grumbling of unhappy teenagers Six strolled over to the sink twisting the spout around a full one eighty before pulling up in the drain. The mirror above the sink slid to side revealing a high tech scanner of some sort. He placed his palm on it and removed his glasses so they could be scanned. After a few seconds the light on the scanner changed from red to green. Six wasn't surprised when the back wall slid to the left revealing a hidden elevator. They got on board as the elevator made its way down.

"I have to admit a secret elevator is cool, but where are you taking us? I thought the lower levels were just the power grid and the archives. What else do you have down here?" Circe questioned the couple. After seeing how much they loved Rex and were willing to protect him from Providence she was willing to give normal people a chance. The elevator dinged as the doors opened revealing their contents. "Whoa."

They entered what appeared to be a secondary command center only this one was paneled in light blue. The lights here weren't harsh fluorescent either, but soft lights that could change color. The command center had state of the art computers set up with a holographic display. On the right side of the room was a wall of TVs with different channels streaming in. Music seemed to be coming out of the speakers. There were two corridors, the one on the left was labeled living quarters/lounge. The one on the left was labeled training/lab/garage. All in all it was amazing.

"This was going to be Hope's auxiliary command center, but at the last minute we decide that we had enough space upstairs for our day to day operations. Instead, this secret facility will be your headquarters," Holiday explained.

"Say what our headquarters? As in our secret base? You want us to be superheroes? Oh that is so cool I always dreamed of being a superhero! Do we get cool uniforms and vehicles? Oh we'll need code names! Will each of us be trained in a specialty? What is..." Annie was cut off when she tripped on her own feet after jumping up and down. Claire helped her up and looked at the adults in surprise and perhaps wonder. Whatever she was expecting it wasn't this. None of them were.

"_No lo entiendo. Yo pensaba que me quería para evitar enfrentamientos y ahora quiere mis amigos y yo para el equipo?_" Rex asked confused. The idea of having a team to combat Providence and other threats was pretty cool, but still it didn't make sense. Why would his parents knowingly put civilians in harms way?

"Rex, you were right when you said you had duty to use your powers to help people. Providence isn't doing anything to solve the nanite problem and there are forces out there wanting use their powers to hurt innocents. Your father and I can use our resources to help find a solution, but unless there's an active force willing to go out to do what is right it will be for nothing. Your friends have demonstrated great character in keeping your secret and I know that they want to help you. Besides we're not going to send you out blind. Your father will train you and we've been working on some projects that will help you out. Let me show something."

Holiday walked over to a safe on the wall entering a code. The door popped open as she removed six silver gear shape buttons out. Distributing one to each of them she told them to put them on their chest and press the button. Doing as she instructed the six friends found themselves clothed in a form fitting power suit contoured to their exact measurements complete with a full face cowl with either goggles or visor covering their eyes. There were holsters on the sides for weapons and utility belts for carrying tools. They were also different color schemes. Rex was orange and black, Noah was forest green and brick red, while Claire was sunshine yellow and rose pink. Annie's was magenta and teal while Beverly had lilac and gray, Circe rounded them out with red and gray.

"The power suits were designed by your mother and I for troops fighting EVOs. I used all my knowledge of being a mercenary to create a suit designed for protection, efficiency, and a bit of comfort. They are keyed to your individual biometrics; responding both to your mental commands or needs as the situation arises by monitoring your body systems. The suits have quiet a few features which I think you'll like."

"What can they do exactly? I can see the cowl contains a digital read out of the world around me. I have access to the full EM spectrum. Oh there's a communicator and voice changer built into the cowl!"

"Correct. The suits also have stealth and camouflage functions. Along with a self diagnostic built in its self repairing. I've worked hard to water, fire, and radiation proof it along with an emergency supply of oxygen. The suits also have bio-enhancements for muscles, reflexes, speed, and agility. Your natural abilities will be augmented. The suits also come with an instant WI-fi hook up and you can interface with almost any computer system. I have a few ideas for some upgrades for the future. Six and I will be training you to fight in hand to hand combat or with weapons. We're retrofitting some old Providence vehicles for your use and yes we'll be seeing where your talents all lie to find your niche in this team. Understand something though," Holiday said sharply getting the teens attention. "I want you to know that while Hope needs a field team of sorts you're still kids. We want you to enjoy being normal and only do missions if your really needed. Don't miss out on your final years of being kids. Its going to hard to find a balance between normalcy and hero work, but we know you can do it."

"Don't worry Mrs. Hayashi we're going to have the best of both worlds. You can count on that!" Claire replied and the others nodded in agreement. Six and Holiday smiled nodding in agreement. While there was a lot to do before they were ready to enter the field Rex solved the most important issue right then, naming the team. They were going to be the Gears because they would turn the world around to be a better place.


	2. Programming

It was three days later and the Gears were out on their first training run on their custom rides as they got use to the interface between their power suits and the vehicles. In the three days since they formed the Gears they had taken the time to personalize their suits by adding a symbol on their gear button to go along with their code names. Rex's symbol was a gear with an orange G and his codename was Generator. He was racing his Rex Ride through the streets with Noah, (codename Wingman with wings on his button), was driving a small two person green hybrid car. Bringing up the rear were the girls. You had Clair/App, (app with cross on it), riding her suped up pink cycle as Annie/Chaos, (chaosphere), tried not to crash her purple scooter. Beverly/Spyder, (spider on a web), zipped over on her own yellow moped helping the girl stay upright. In the way back was Circe/Siren, (siren of Greek mythology), on her black quad.

"This is the coolest thing I've ever done! I can literally feel the road with my connection through my suit. I love how the suits make it easier to control my car!"

"The interface is astonishingly cutting edge. I've never seen anything like this before," Spyder replied. She cranked the grip adding more power as she did a wheelie. She was having a lot of fun. There was a chirp in her cowl alerting her to an incoming message. "What is it Rebecca? I'm having a lot of fun."

"Yeah so much fun you're ignoring the rules of the road. Keep it together sis. Now all of you remember this isn't an official patrol. We just want you to get use to using your vehicles. You still need training to figure out where you best fit in."

"Copy that Holiday. We'll be more careful," App replied. The kids settled down getting back into traveling formation. It was time to test out their vehicles. First Noah decided to see how his hybrid handled the road. Gunning the engine he zoomed through the streets taking corners with ease. He tapped the brake to slow down feeling the ease as the car responded to the slightest touch.

Seeing his success the others started pushing their limits. Chaos relaxed letting her suit help control her vehicle noticing how smooth the ride was. Her balance was greatly improved as the interface corrected her every time she felt like she was going to fall over. It was the first time since getting her license she didn't have to worry about crashing. App loved how the interface helped her run diagnostic on her cycle for the slightest problem. The only one having trouble was Siren, her vehicle was more for off road then on road. Flipping a switch on the controls her tires retreaded for asphalt.

Back at Hope the Hayashi's, joined by Bobo, were monitoring the patrol through the video link. The suits had a built in camera that broadcast back to the auxiliary base on a secure channel. Holiday was busy monitoring their biometrics while analyzing the connection between the suits and the vehicles. Six had his eyes locked on the video carefully observing each of them looking for mistakes to correct later when they returned.

"The kids seem to be having a lot of fun. Makes me wonder if I shouldn't go on a joy ride myself. The thought of tearing up some asphalt sounds mighty appealing," Bobo said as he popped some popcorn into his mouth. "That kid of yours is itching for some action. If he doesn't get to play hero tonight I think he might crack." Six's frown made Bobo shiver. "Hey I just call them like I see them."

"The Gears aren't ready for anything serious. They still need to be trained how to fight and work as a team. How are their biometrics?" Six asked his wife. From his observations he already knew where most of them would fit in the team and who they'd benefit from as a mentor. The only one who was giving him trouble was Circe. He didn't quite know where the girl fit in.

"Their biometrics are a little high, but that's understandable with their excitement. The interface is working perfectly. I've been running my own scans on their powers suits and haven't detected any abnormalities. For a test run I think it's a success. We should bring them in and call it a night," Holiday stated looking up from the computer screens. She was about to recall the teens when an alarm sounded. The flashing red lights flooded the room. "What's going on? Rex, are you okay?"

"Chill Mom, we're fine. We've just run into a small bit of trouble," Generator replied. A small bit of trouble might have been an understatement. They had prepared to turn around when they saw a small band of EVOs breaking into a store. A quick check on their police/Providence scanner showed that the authorities were nowhere in sight. So they had parked their vehicles getting closer to investigate. As they observed the EVOs they took note of their abilities. The trio consisted of a mechanical wolf, a scaly lizard with a crystal hand, and a girl with four arms who had opened a red portal of sorts.

Siren stiffened at the sight of them. She knew who they were. "That's the Pack, they're the enforcers of the guy who was chasing me."

"Whose their boss?" App whispered as they continued to watch them steal computers, TVs, and high end electronics. She was nervous, her heart pounding. As much as she wanted to be a hero; right now they were helpless without any kind of training or weapons. Even if they made it back to their vehicles they wouldn't know how to use the defense systems safely.

"All I know is they call him Van Kliess. He supposedly a strong EVO whose going to lead EVO kind to a better future. I'm not entirely certain, I just didn't feel safe going with them."

"We should stop them. I can use my..." A light chirp in Generator's cowl and he could see his dad's face pop up on his digital screen. His face had the micro expression of concern on it. "Dad, you can't expect me..."

"Your not ready for this. You six need to get back here now. Providence is sending a team your way. We're not prepared for them to meet the Gears yet. For everyone's sake please retreat." Six's tone of voice left no room for discussion. As they got ready to leave Chaos clumsiness got the better of them. She tripped over a crack crashing into a dumpster. The Pack, alerted to trouble, decided to see who was watching them.

"Skalemander, get rid of whomever out there! We need to return to Abysus asap to help the Master prepare for his upcoming plans!" Biowulf hissed. The lizard man nodded already heading for the door, but Spyder was faster. She interfaced with the stores security system dropping down the security doors. Crystals shot through the door. Wingman hauled App to the ground having a shard nick him. The suit repaired itself, but his shoulder was hurting him. App noticed it saying they needed to retreat. Without hesitation they made their way back to HQ before they were spotted.

In the auxiliary base Holiday was showing Claire how to treat wounds. They others had changed back to their civilian clothes listening to Six lecture them about the dangers they had placed themselves in. "I understand that you felt the need to investigate. However, you're not prepared for that yet. You need to train yourselves for any situation; learning how to act like a team."

"We know that Dad, that's why we want to get started as soon as possible. That EVO mentioned his master had something big planned. Whatever it is, it can't be good. We need to be ready to act at a moments notice." The others nodded in agreement knowing he was right. Whatever it took they'd be ready for Van Kliess and the Pack.

Six was glad to know they were ready for some intense training. He outlined a schedule for them to train for three hours after school. They would go over the basics in hand to hand combat, weapon training, along with strategy sessions. They each would have one on one sessions to improve their skills. After reviewing the video the former mercenary knew where they would best fit in. Rex, had the makings of a leader he just needed to polish his skills. Noah would be second in command also getting one on one sessions with Six. Holiday was going to take her sister and Claire under her wing. Beverly had a knack for technical support while Claire would be trained as a field scientist/medic. Bobo and Annie were looking forward to working together as he taught her the fine art of weapons and sabotage. Rex though protest loudly when he learned what his dad wanted Circe to do. He didn't think a week of hard core training would be enough to help Circe become an undercover operative. Holiday was also uneasy putting the girl in such a position, however Circe informed them that she wanted to do this. She knew Van Kliess wasn't going to give up on her anytime soon. If a week worth of training could prepare her for the act of her life then she was ready to give it all she had.

* * *

It was Tuesday afternoon, three days later and the Gears found themselves in the gym training. Well most of them anyways, Beverly had a group project that she needed to work on for college so she was skipping that afternoon's lesson. Holiday was also absent being upstairs working with her fellow scientist on trying to figure a way to talk to the nanites. So it was just Six and Bobo in the training room going over the fundamentals of hand to hand combat again.

Six was demonstrating with Rex how to block an attack then redirect your opponents move at them. Rex came at him with a low kick, which he countered with his own making first contact. He followed through by grabbing his leg and hurling him down on the mat. Fast as lightning he was on top of Rex twisting his arm while using his body weight to keep the teen from moving. "This is how you gain control of your enemy. Keeping them pinned like this is a good way to secure them, but don't ease up just yet. A resourceful opponent can get out of this lock."

Rex demonstrated by bringing his head backwards cracking it against Six's nose. As he felt the pressure lessen he twisted around causing the man to let go. Pushing up with his free hand he righted himself as his other hand reached out for Six's wrist. Twisting it painfully he used his own weight to push his dad to the ground pressing his foot down on his chest. After a few seconds he let go. "That's how you catch your opponent off guard."

"That's impressive, will it work every time?" Noah asked, rubbing his hands together in anticipation of a spar.

"Not if your opponent is expecting it. Its important in any fight to keep the battle on your terms. Never _react_, always be _acting_. Noah, you and Rex, have the advantage when it comes to physical power, but you're not as limber as the girls. You need to make sure to stand you ground while keeping your opponent off balance. Girls, your smaller frames means it easier for you to dodge about making your opponents use up their energy. Your best strategy is to defend then turn the attack back on your opponent. Do you understand?"

"Yes sir!"

Six nodded, pushing his glasses back up. He gestured for Annie and Circe to come on over. Rex took a breather as Noah and Claire got into their fighting stance. He watched his dad gently correct their stances reminding them to be a little loose and not so rigid. Bobo romped over handing the boy some flavored water which he gladly took. "So, who do you think is going to win this one? My money is on the girls because blondie's chaos always seems to send her opponents to the infirmary."

"I don't know, Noah is quite clever and Claire has a supernatural ability to avoid Annie's chaos. We'll just have to see." The two friends watched as sparring match began. Noah attacked first with a right cross at Circe who covered up with her forearms blocking the hit. At the same Claire did a heel kick to Annie who twirled out of the way. Annie then attacked with a palm thrust to Claire's back. The result sent the girl stumbling, but she recovered with a high arc kick to the face catching Annie off guard. Annie recovered to block a series of punches trying to grab her best friend's wrist only for the girl to flip over her coming at her from behind. Annie continued to evade only attacking when Claire got close while Claire used her upper body to attack. As this was going on Circe stood her ground as Noah continued to attack her with some kick boxing techniques. He came at her with a swift bolo punch which she countered with a cross punch. He tried again this time with a straight jab to the abdomen which she endured before reacting with her own attack bringing her knee up into his chest. Using a graceful cut she brought her arm down like a mantis harming his shoulder. Noah ignored it powering on through with an axle kick that she once again endured before responding to with her upward strike unbalancing him.

"Its amazing, each of them is utilizing a different style of fighting. Annie is using Baguazhang to try evade then mirror Claire whose utilizing Tai Chi. Noah's got a mix of kickboxing and Northern Kung Fu. He's not really acting as defensive as he could be, but powering through. Circe seems to utilize neutral jin attacking with a Praying Mantis style. I wonder how that will reflect when we get to using weapons." Bobo just stared at the teen shocked that he knew so much about fighting styles. To him it was just a flurry of actions with hits landing or being deflected, but in reality it was so much more then that.

Six clapped his hands ending the spar, which the four fighters were grateful for. The ten minute spar was more of a work out then they usually got in gym class. "Your progress is encouraging. Each of you has found a style that fits your personality. With a bit more practice I think you'll be able to handle humans and most EVOs."

"That's encouraging to know. So, are we finally going to start weapons training?" Claire asked. Six nodded and the girl pumped her fist. Behind her Annie was smiling widely as Bobo cracked his knuckles removing his laser pistols. Circe was quiet as she wondered how she could use a weapon with her powers while Noah feared getting hurt during training. Six lead the kids into a simulation room next door instructing them to sit to the side. Rex took his place at the range as a group of targets popped up.

"As you know Rex is his own weapon with his diversity of builds. However, he still needs to learn how to utilize them in ways that don't cause harm to his allies and keeps the damage to a minimum. For example, these target are of different EVOs mixed with civilians. His objective is to hit only the EVOs. Think you can do it son?"

"This is going to be a salsa sensation!" he joked. Focusing he formed his Slam Cannon crunching up junk from the garbage. He took aim focusing on the targets lining up his shot perfectly before launching his attack. The crushed metal shot through the air at thirty miles per hour. It took out both the target he aimed for as well as the ones behind it including a civilian. Rex stamped his foot in anger as his build dissolved back into him. "Dang it! I thought I had it that time!"

"Don't let anger cloud your mind, it can get you killed. Instead focus on doing better next time. Its your turn kids. After observing you I've come to a conclusion which weapons would best serve you. Noah; you need a weapon for getting in close so you'll be learning how to use a khurki, (A curved Nepalese knife used as both a tool and a weapon), for close combat. In addition you'll be learning to fire a long-range laser pistol for situations with multiple targets."

Noah studied the small five inch knife. The grip was leather and firm. The blade was sharp. He hoped his mom didn't find out about this considering she wouldn't even let him have a Swiss army knife. Putting the knife into his sheath he started to exam the laser pistol. He'd seen Providence agents use this so he had some idea of how they worked.

Claire was surprised when Six gave her a naginata, (A pole weapon consisting of a wooden shaft with a curved blade on the end. It has a thick, slightly curved katana-like blade connected to a long wooden pole), to use. She tested the weight of the weapon carefully spinning it around getting her hands use to it. The weapon was mainly for attack, but in a pinch could be used to defend herself from attack.

Annie was slightly disappointed that all she got was a taser and stun gun. She knew it was because she had nearly killed Six when he tried them out on different weapons yesterday. She had looked at a pike only for it to fall off the rack, strike a row of staffs that crashed on top of a bunch of different swords sending them flying through the air towards Six's head. Thankfully, no one was hurt, but that meant her weapon use was limited. Still, Bobo promised to teach her some fun things to do with her taser so she wasn't that upset.

Circe examined her Jōhyō, more commonly known as a rope dart. The rope was flexible, but tough. The small dart at the end was sharp able to pierce a target or stone. The rings behind the dart helped balance it or dig into her targets. She could use it like a whip or disable her opponents in a single strike. It was extremely versatile. It would take time, but she was willing to learn. She had to master the basics before she left in a few days.

The next few days were intense as they learned to function as a team. Their personal combat skills had to work in synch with one another such as Claire covering Noah's back. They became more adept at their weapons especially Annie who didn't tase everyone all the time. They started to learn to use kits to help them in their assigned position. To soon though it was time for Circe to begin her mission.

* * *

It was late Friday afternoon. The sun was just beginning to set as Circe packed her travel bag. She put her power suit button, a spy kit, and her rope dart in the hidden lining of the bag. The bag was shielded so no one would know the stuff was there. She was prepping her four wheel for the trip when she sensed Rex's presence behind her. "Don't think you can talk me out of this. You know it's the right call."

"Your risking your life going undercover in the Pack! You don't have enough training in espionage. Your just starting to master your weapon and fighting style. According to the memos Van Kliess is a seriously bad dude. He could kill you if he discovers that your double crossing him. I want you to stay here," Rex said taking her hand is his. His eyes looked at her pleadingly. Surely they could find a place for her here. A new home, school, a normal life. Sure she had been hiding out at Claire's house for the past week or so, but they could make it permanent. "Please don't go."

Circe kissed him on the cheek, stroking it with her hand. She was scared for her life, but she wouldn't show it. She knew both Rex and Holiday thought this was a bad idea, but she agreed with Six. While Spyder could hack into Providence to keep an eye of them and monitor global events, they had no one keeping track of the bad guy. If he was going to be making moves they needed to be one step ahead of him. That meant someone had to get close to the Pack. They'd been after Circe so she was the logical choice. It was a huge risk, but one she was willing to take after being shown kindness from Rex and his friends. If it got really bad she would bail. After hugging everyone goodbye she left the base in search of the Pack, ready to join them.

It didn't take long. As she was driving through downtown looking once more grubby, with fake tears on her eyes she found herself surrounded by the Pack. Gripping her four wheeler tight she demanded, "What do you punks want? I thought you gave up chasing me for you little master."

"Seeing as how your running once more its obvious you don't have a place to go. What's the matter your friends abandoned you?" Skalemander asked.

"NO! They liked me, I just didn't want to be used as a guinea pig by Rex's mom is all. She meant well, but I'm not a science project."

"Poor little Circe, you have nowhere to go. Even the cutie abandon you huh? Oh well why don't you come with us to Abysus. Van Kliess will be pleased to meet you," Breach cackled. Pretending she had nothing else she followed through the red portal that opened up into Van Kliess castle.

The King of EVOs had just finished snacking. Descending from his throne he examined Circe closely sniffing her as if he was trying to smell if she was a traitor. With a wave of his golden hand Biowulf let her go. "Ms. Warren its a pleasure for you to finally join us. I've been watching you for sometime now. I thought after that my lizard EVO failed to capture you I lost you. Tell me, how was he cured and where you aquirred your ride."

"My friend Rex Hayashi cured him with one of his mom's prototype cure guns. He lost it during the attack, but luckily it worked or I would have been dead. He and his friends offered me a home. For awhile it worked, but his parents run Hope, the new nanite research center. I didn't want to be a guinea pig so I left after taking some of their stuff," Circe lied. She noticed how Van Kliess eyes lit up at the mention of Rex's name.

"I've heard of the Hayashi's, but didn't consider them much of a threat. Still, to posses the ability to cure EVOs could be a problem. Tell me do you have a picture of them? Did your friend Rex display any unusual powers?" Van Kliess whispered. Circe shook her head showing him the photo on her cell. Again his eyes lit up as if he knew the boy. He started muttering to himself softly before straightening up. "I do believe in time I like to meet your friend and his family. As of now I could use a girl with your particular talents to help me in my latest plans. Welcome to the Pack my dear."

* * *

Two weeks later Van Kliess made his first public appearance to the world by arriving unannounced at the UN in New York. Circe hid in the back of the flying EVOs mouth as Providence agents got in position to attack. She got into her fighting stance, ready to resist them only for Van Kliess to signal the Pack to stand down. After all when the official gave them the green light Providence had no choice, but to back off. She watched the man meet and greet officials secretly recording the proceedings with her mini spy cam that looked like one of her fasteners. She would have to wait until she had a free moment to safely transmit her recording to the Gears.

After the Pack landed at the newly formed Abysus Embassy Circe got ready to help Breach out. She stared to head to the basement when a golden hand was placed on her shoulder. Stiffening, she turned her head looking at Van Kliess quizzedly. "Is there a problem sir? I thought you wanted me to assist Breach in the basement. You said it was vital that I make sure the transfer of nanite infused soil was successful." She wasn't entirely certain yet why he needed the soil, but she was willing to bet it was the reason he didn't come after her personally.

"Anxious to prove your loyalty my dear? I like that in my soldiers. Don't worry you'll have plenty of time to assist Breach with the transfer. For now I need you for a different reason," he whispered fingering her hair in his gold fingers. Smirking he gestured to the pavilion below were some of the lesser members of Abysus were setting up for the gala later that night. Representatives from multiple countries would be there as well as a small delegation from Providence. It was an act of good faith to show they didn't mean any harm and to flaunt Van Kliess diplomatic immunity in their faces. "Biowulf and Skalamander are my top lieutenants, but they lack social skills. I've put them in charge of security for the event. You my dear, however not only possess the ability to act appropriately in social situations, your quite fetching to look at. I am attempting to gain favor tonight for our kind, to show them I'm not only a strong leader, but a kind, compassionate, and fair one as well. To that end I need someone to act as my proxy tonight."

"You want me to meet with the representative and report back which ones will back you and which won't. Since I appear human they'll be more likely to open up to me then our more mutated brothers and sisters. I think I can handle that responsibility," Circe replied smoothly. This might actually be a good thing. Staying close to Van Kliess tonight she could learn more about the man, figure out what made him tick. If we going to act tonight she'd been in a good position to react. "I'll need something fancy to wear."

"Oh don't worry about it. I had one of the underlings fetch something both sophisticated and classic. After all I'm introducing you not only as important member of my staff, but my ward tonight. Don't look so shocked its politics my dear. A benevolent ruler taking a personal interest in a waif will only give us more positive PR. Plus, I enjoy how it will infuriate Providence to no end after I play a video of them ruthlessly chasing you down. Go get ready for the party my dear," Van Kliess said shooing her down the hall, but his voice stopped her once more. "Oh, did I mention I extend an invite to your friends the Hayashi's. I thought I should get to know the newest researchers on the block. I look forwarding to meeting them."

"I'm sure that you'll find them to be perfectly wonderful people. I mean, they seemed very nice just a bit to enthusiastic when it came to trying to cure me by using me as a volunteer test subject," Circe replied curtly. She headed to her room to prepare for the gala. She didn't know what Van Kliess wanted with Rex, but whatever it was it couldn't be good.

It was a few hours later and Rex was tugging at his shirt collar. He hated wearing his brown suit only because it was so uncomfortable! It had taken him twenty minutes to get his tie right. He fidgeted as they waited in line to present their invites to the bouncer. "I don't see why I had to come. I could be working on my World Event essay with the others back in the hotel. Are you sure we can trust Beverly to keep Noah and the girl's out of trouble?"

"My sister is a bit of a flake at times, but I trust her. Besides, it's not like she's alone, Bobo is with her," Holiday reminded him then frowned at that thought. Maybe it hadn't been such a good idea to bring the chimp to New York, but she didn't trust him not to destroy the lab without her there. "At least this gala will give us a chance to make friends. I'm hoping to obtain some samples from the EVOs here to better understand how living in, what is said to be an unstable enviorment, affects nanites."

"Try not to get to enthusiastic. Van Kliess invited us here for a reason and I doubt its for conversation. Keep up your guard at all times. Rex remember, don't let on you're an EVO. Keep your mind focused on the objective. If you see Circe, try to act appropriately. We can't risk her cover," Six warned his son. The teen nodded as they stepped up to the bouncer. They showed their invite and were allowed inside the building.

The main foyer was richly decorated with flowers all over the place. Candlelight made the glass from the chandeliers sparkle. There were banners with the symbol for Abysus, a nanite in a gloved hand, hanging all over the place. Classic music was being played by a group of EVOs. A large buffet style table had been set up. Guests were mingling around talking with one another. "This is one fancy party."

"The terrorist knows how to handle a crowd I'll give him that," a familiar voice said from behind the family. Turning around they saw Captain Callan in a dress uniform munching on hourderves. "Fancy meeting you here Hayashi. I'm guessing that you received an invite as well huh? I was chosen to be Providence's spokesperson because I know cotillion. Don't ask, so is this your son?"

"Yes, this is Rex. Rex meet Captain Callan. He's one of Providence top agents," Six said introducing them. They shook hands then turned towards the balcony. Van Kliess was busy giving his introduction speech however Rex didn't hear a word of it. His eyes were glued to Circe who was standing next to him. She was dressed in an elegant red cocktail dress, with a small slit on the bottom. Her bodice had gold beads sewn into into it as the dress was held up by a halter top. A small black ribbon bow cinched her waist and matched her low heels. Her hair had been elegantly styled in sophisticated perm, the curls of red hair framing her face. She wore a gold bracelet and ruby necklace and earrings. She was the most beautiful thing in the entire embassy.

Rex didn't know how long he stayed frozen in that spot. He was brought back to reality when he felt someone tap on his shoulder. "She's very pretty isn't she?" his mom asked. Rex could only nod. He wanted to go talk to her only for the man of the hour to appear in front of them.

"Captain Callan, always a delight to see you. How's your shoulder?" Callan didn't answer him, instead he marched off towards the buffet table. Van Kliess chuckled before focusing on the small family in front of him. He took note of how the parents were standing protectively in front of Rex. "Ah the Hayashi's! I'm so glad that you accepted my invitation on such short notice. My new ward praised you for your kindness. You must be Rex, Circe talks about you quite a lot." Van Kliess held out his golden hand for Rex to shake. The boy did only to pull back wringing his hand in pain. "Sorry about that the metal can be quite sharp."

"Its okay, it was an accident," he replied tersely. Seeing Circe approaching he excused himself to go dance with her while Van Kliess continued to talk with his parents. He wasn't sure why the man had taken a sample of his blood though it couldn't be for anything good. He stopped a few feet from Circe waiting for her to finish speaking to some delegates. She grinned at the sight of him in a suit covering her face with her hand to suppress her laughter. "Laugh it up, this is the last time you'll see me in a monkey suit. It's good to "see" you again. I was worried when you left abruptly."

"I'm sorry, but I need a safe place to set down "roots." I am "surprised" to see you here. I didn't think Van Kliess was serious about inviting you. I nearly had a panic "attack" when I spotted you. Do you want to dance? The music isn't "earth" shattering, but its enjoyable. Let's show these EVOs how to get down," Circe replied carefully. She extended her hand which Rex took. The two glided on the dance floor as they began to waltz. They could feel the Pack's eyes on them, especially Biowulf, as they twirled around on the dance floor. The music came to an end as Skalamander shuffled over towards the couple. "Yes Skalamander?"

"Master wanted me to remind you to mingle with the other guests. He also mentioned you should help prepare Breach for the meeting tomorrow after the party."

"Of course; it was nice to see you again Rex. Maybe I'll call you sometime." The boy nodded as he retreated back to his folks. They had finished talking to Van Kliess and were getting ready to leave. The man watched them go with a mixed expression on his face. Biowulf walked up next to him bowing slightly. "Master, did you get what you needed from the boy? Is he who you suspect?"

"There's no doubt in my mind that Rex Hayashi is Rex Salazar. He's a spitting image of his brother. Still, when I tasted his nanites they were completely inactive. I suspected that Holiday's cure guns were based on Rex abilities, but I'm not sure now. Was he able to cure himself or are his powers dormant from the Nanite Event? The boy will require further observation."

* * *

Back at the hotel Noah was channel surfing while Bobo munched on his nachos he ordered from room service. Annie was sitting at the table trying to rewrite her essay after losing the first one to a shredder. Claire was going over maps of New York as Beverly furiously typed away on her laptop. "Have you managed to gain access to Providences files yet? I bet Rex could do it in a few minutes."

"Shove it Nixon, my nephew can talk to machines, but I'm the one who can get them to spill their secrets. Getting into Providence files on the Pack was a cake walk. I did that an hour ago. I've been trying to gain entry into their surveillance satailights and set up a back door to their mainframe. It's not as easy as you think," Beverly shot back, her eyes barely leaving the binary screen.

"I've gone over the street maps. Providence will most likely set up blockades at these three intersections. They're not allowed in at tomorrow meeting, but that won't stop them from being ready for any signs of danger. I've marked the best routes for evacuating civilians in red. It won't be easy to sneak into UN considering the amount of security. It might be easier if just you and Rex try it, " Clair remarked tracing the routes. She took out her field kits, one for meds and the other for science, taking inventory.

"Am I the only one getting a rush at just thinking about our debuts tomorrow? I know this is very serious and all, but I can't help being excited about it!"

"I like your enthusiasm girl. You and I are going to have a barrel of fun tomorrow. Hope the kid's babe was able to convey the intel we needed." The door to the room opened as the Hayashi family returned. Six frowned at the sight of the chimp's room service, but refused to say anything about it. "Hey, you said keep an eye on the kids, not that I couldn't ordered some food. So, your girl came through? What's the plan for tomorrow?" Everyone sat down as they got ready to listen to the plan.

The sun was shining and cool breeze was blowing. The media was having a frenzy snapping pictures as they watched Van Kliess and the Pack enter the UN building. Providence agents and their vehicles were posted around the surrounding area. Callan had been surprised when the Hayashi showed up with Bobo asking if he could use a little help. He graciously accepted the help. When he questioned where their son was they said he was exploring the city with some friends. No one notice three girls pull into a nearby alley or that the door to the UN building opened on its own. Below the building in the tunnels underneath Breach had completed bringing in the dirt. She, Circe, and a few other EVOs were suppose to stay down here making sure no one messed with it. To that end they had split up giving time for Circe to activate her power suit. She was on stand by, her heart pounding.

Meanwhile Generator and Wingman had taken up positions in the back of the hall. The stealth features on their power suit were unbelievable. No one had noticed them, not even the EVOs with special senses. They had synched up with everyone and were analyzing everybody with their digital sensors. It would be a tough fight, but they were ready. Generator narrowed his goggle eyes as he watched Van Kliess make his grandstand. Yesterday's meeting had unsettled him, he felt for sure that the man knew something about his past and he was going to find out.

"Keep your eye on the ball Generator. Things are about to get a bit rockyyyyyyyyyyyy!" Wingman whispered. The ground shook and the building threatened the collapse on top of them. Both of them rolled out of the way as vines came alive twisting about threatening to harm the delegates. They were screaming in multiple languages clearly frightened. There was a small chirp and Chaos's face appeared on the digital screen.

"It's a war zone out here! The earth is rebelling against us! Providence and NYPD are starting to get overwhelmed by the forces. We're going to try to push back the EVOs. Siren is trying to figure a way to cut off Van Kliess's power, but she has her work cut out for her. You two need to save the delegates and remove Van Kliess from his power source!" she urged. Wingman confirmed they would as they decided to make themselves known.

Generator attacked first using his Slam Cannon to shoot munched up vines at Van Kliess catching the man off guard. Van Kliess appraised his foe. "Well well, I didn't expect this. Who are you suppose to be, Providence's secret weapon perhaps?"

"The name's Generator and I'm the leader of the Gears. We have no affiliation with any organization. Our only goal is to protect the innocent in the Nanite War from threats such as you. Wingman, get the delegates to safety, I'll handle Van Kliess," he said in a digitized voice unlike his own. Without hesitation he activated his Smack Hands going after Van Kliess. The man summoned a fist of dirt which caught the boy squeezing him. Switching his fists to drill mode he burst free demorphing his arms and transforming his legs kicking the man in the chest. He created the Boogie Pack flying into the air with Van Kliess going after him refusing to be stopped.

"Master! Ahhhhh!" Biowulf was struck in the back by a laser blast. Multiple shot rang out hitting both him and Skalamander. Wingman holster his gun pulling out oxygen masks from his survival pack on his back. "Put these on and crawl through the halls towards the exit now! I'll meet you up with you once I've taken care of these two. Go!" Wingman drew his knife holding it out protectively as he took a swipe at Biowulf. Metal met metal as he slashed down and punched hard. Ducking and twisting about he came after the two EVOs, using the data from his visor to pinpoint weakness.

Outside Providence agents were getting a big help from three ladies dressed in weird power suits. Chaos spun around not letting anything touch her. Her own natural clumsiness was working for her as a change. EVOs were getting caught in sewer grates, falling into dumpsters or running into each other. Two more EVOs were coming at her so she reached into her back of tricks on her belt, pulled out some jacks tossing them. An EVO that resembled a walking tree shrieked in pain as the jacks dug into its legs running away in pain. She pushed forward on her front leg bringing her leg up hitting one monster in the jaw only for him to split in half. "Well this is a surprise, hope you like this one!" she fired her stun blast taking down one half. She slid under the legs of the other half mirroring its movements so it couldn't see her until she tasered it into unconsciousness.

Meanwhile in her own fight, App did a technique known as grasping the birds tail. She blocked her opponents strike rolling back on her feet before pushing forward with both palms striking the creature in its chest. Sensing an attack on her right she used her bioenhanced muscles to do single whip building up power in her right arm as she threw a right hook in the EVOs lower region, before palming it hard in the legs. Grabbing the wrist she twisted tossing it down the block causing a domino effect by taking out three more EVOs who ended up in an Providence transport. Twirling her nagitina she began slicing through column on nanite earth shattering it as she raced over to a few fallen police officers. "Don't worry, I'm a medic. Let me check your wounds out."

Spyder expertly handled her tonfas as she bashed another flying EVO. Bringing up her weapons she blocked another, bashed two more, flipped and struck down a third. Her own fighting style was of mixed martial arts as she combined her attacks together in an unpredicatable pattern. "Bring up video surveillance on designation one zero one!" she ordered. Immediately her a small screen popped up showing her sister, brother in law, and the chimp in a struggle for their lives. The connection was broken as her body temperature started to rise. A flame throwing EVO was trying to burn her to a crisp. Thankfully the suit protected her as she surprised him with a punch to the face. "Dang it, the suits receptors are damaged. It will take a few minutes to repair. Siren, listen up! We need you to carry out the plan now. We're losing up here and Van Kliess is beating the hell out of Generator."

"Doing the best I can, I'm limited here remember?" Siren respond. She couldn't use her EVO powers or she would blow her cover. Instead she used her martial arts and rope dart to capture her foes before knocking them out. She could still feel the pain from their attacks thankfully the suit kept a majority of them from getting through. After confirming that Breach was nowhere in sight she let loose a powerful scream at the critical juncture Spyder had told her about. Instantly the East River started flooding the tunnels taking the nanite soil away. She swam to safety removing her suit hiding it just in time as Breach appeared.

"The plans a bust. Van Kliess ordered a retreat! Seems a shiny new EVO was causing some problems," Breach sang. Using one of her smaller arms she pulled Circe back through the portal to Abysus. Up in the sky above Generator was giving chase as Van Kliess was flown away by a bug EVO. He tried to get him with his grappling lines missing by inches.

"You've certainly entertained me Generator! We'll have to do this again another time!" Van Kliess called out. The costumed teen growled, but retreated. He and his team had done their part now they needed to vanish. The media report that night would talk about the bravery of Providence and the NYPD. It would also mention the assistance of the Gears wondering if they were friend or foe.

* * *

After that exciting adventure in New York it had been a bit hard to return to normal life. The Gears had done a patrol or two around the surrounding towns handling small EVOs or just helping people in general. Their team work had improved along with their skill and confidence levels. It was exciting being a secret hero, though normal life was just as fun, but it came with its own challenges as Rex was learning.

He was in Mr. Buchiner Trig class listening to the teacher lecture about angles and distance. Trig was his favorite subject surprisingly. While everyone else whined and moaned about how tough the class was, he excelled at it. He suspected that part of the reason he was so good at trig was because of his builds. He needed to understand math in order to use them effectively. It was common knowledge that he was the only one getting straight As in the class.

Taking a break from listening to the lecture he absentmindly started doodling in the margins in his notebook. He was drawing design ideas for future builds. He liked what he had, but he always hoped one day he could build cooler builds. He was doodling a design for a hoverboard when he felt someone kicking the back of his chair. Growling, he turned around to face McKelly, the leader of the jerk skater gang, "Quit it!"

"Oooh did I upset you? My bad."

Hissing Rex turned around to listen to the lecture only for McKelly to kick his chair again. Counting to ten Rex tried to ignore him. McKelly kept kicking him trying to get a rise out of the teen. When that didn't work he started flicking paper at the back of his head. Rex gritted his teeth clamping down on his emotions. He was pretty sure his dad would kill him if he exposed himself because of some jerk. Finally the bell rang, Rex gathered his books heading for the door only to be sent sprawling to the ground when he was shoved from behind. "Look at the spaz, can't even stand on your own two feet. Oh what's this? Does the world traveler like to draw?"

"Give that back!" he snatched back his drawing taking a few deep breaths. "I don't know what I did to you McKelly to you, but I want you to leave me alone. If you don't then..."

"What you'll bore me to death with trig? No wait I bet you'll sick your old man on me! Hah like I'm so scared of a former mercenary. I bet you just made that up to look cool. Then again I would be making stories if I was nothing but a filthy street kid. Did your parents abandon you because you're a wimp? I bet your new parents will toss you to street sooner or later freak." McKelly was still laughing when Rex shoved him into the hall pinning him to the lockers. Caught off guard the punk threw a punch hitting Rex square in the jaw.

The two went after each other as the kids formed a circle in the hallway instead of going to seventh period. "Fight, fight, fight!" they chanted. Some were shouting encouragement as others demanded they stop fighting. Noah gasped when he saw his best friend flip over McKelly balancing on one hand before kicking him in the back. The bully growled rushing him managing to get a dirty shot in the chest. Noah was worried if the fight continued much longer Rex would do something stupid. "Rex, stop it please! Come on buddy, he's not worth it!" he said grabbing his friend from behind holding him in place. One of McKelly's friend Shades also grabbed his friend.

"What is going on here? Why aren't you student's heading to class?" Mr. Buchiner demanded coming out of his classroom. He took one look at the scene and made a call. "Mr Stone and Mr. Hayashi, Principal Rothenburg's office now! The rest of you get to class!"

A while later Rex was looking at the wall as he waited for his parents to show up to discuss his actions with the principal. He knew they'd be greatly disappointed in him for fighting. They had always taught him that he shouldn't go looking for a fight and only use his skills in self-defense. He was pretty sure he was going to be grounded for this. "_Estoy en un gran problema, ¿cómo puede esta mucho peor?" _

"Talking to yourself in another language makes you look stupid. What's the matter not smart enough to talk in English or are you an illegal?"

"Quit it! It's your fault we're here in the first place." Rex wanted nothing more than to wipe the smirk off the kid's face, but the door to the office opened revealing his dad. He shrunk under his gaze feeling lower then dirt. Another man, probably McKelly's dad entered the office. He looked like a meaner older version of his son in factory clothes. He didn't seem very happy to be called to the school. The door to the Rothenburg's office opened. "Ah Mr Hayashi and Stone, welcome. I'm so glad you could make it. Rex, McKelly in my office now."

Rothenburg's office was furnished in wood with a scratchy dull gray carpet. He had some pictures on the wall of him helping out at school functions. His desk was large and functional in varnished wood. Everyone took their seats in uncomfortable chairs. "I'm glad that you were able to come on such short notice. I understand your both busy men. Now down to business. Earlier today their was an altercation between your sons in the hallway. Both of them were caught fighting in the hall causing minor damage to school property."

"Again? How many times have I told you McKelly to stop picking fights with everyone! I'm getting tired of having to deal with your messes," Mr. Stone thundered at his son who basically blew him off. Six remained quiet as Rex shrunk deeper into his seat.

"Now according to witnesses McKelly may have instigated the altercation with his verbal abuse, but that doesn't excuse you Rex for resorting to violence. The student handbook is very clear on these matters. No fighting on school grounds is tolerated. By all rights I should suspend you for three days and make you serve a week worth of dentition. But on Mr. Buchiner's advice I won't."

"What's the alternative sir?" Six asked straightening his tie. He was glad that Rex wasn't going to be suspended, but he still deserved to be punished. His impulsive behavior had nearly exposed him.

"According to Mr. Buchiner; Mr. Stone here is currently failing trig. If he doesn't pull his grades up he'll have to repeat the course possibly even be held back a grade."

McKelly scoffed kicking his legs back and forth. "Who gives a rat's behind about trig? Its stupid hey!" He was rubbing the back of his head after his father slapped it. His father was glaring down at him, "Don't you be giving lip to your betters boy. I won't have you failing because your to lazy to do the work."

"Ahem as I was saying, Mr. Buchiner is willing to raise McKelly's grades from an F to a D if he passes next week test. Seeing how Rex is the only one passing the class with straight As I've decided he should tutor McKelly. If he passes the quiz I'll forgo writing this incident up in their permanent records, however if he fails both of you will be serving dentition for a month."

"Come on how is that fair to me? I can't tutor someone who doesn't want to learn! Can't I do something else instead like going to peer counseling?" Rex complained. He felt someone touch his shoulder so he stiffened. Bowing his head in submission he whispered. "Alright, I'll do it. When do you want me to start?"

"Tomorrow after school in Mr. Buchiner's class. He'll be supervising both of you to make sure there are no problems. We'll I hope you two understand how lucky you are to be given this opportunity. Go home, I'm sure your parents will be dealing with you privately. I hope to never see either of you in this office again." Rex got up, slung his backpack over his shoulder before shuffling after his dad. He knew he get lectured once they were home.

The ride home was in silence which was worse then yelling. Neither one said anything as they parked the car in the driveway and entered the house. Six pointed upstairs indicating Rex's bedroom. Without question he went to his room to start on his homework. His mom would be home around dinner to cook meatloaf and mashed potatoes just as Kate taught her. It was practically the only thing she could make without messing up. The teen stayed in his room until he was called down for dinner. Seeing the look of disappointment on his mom's face made him cringe. He took his seat not even bothering to touch his meal. "How much trouble am I in?"

"Plenty young man. We're both very disappointed in you," Holiday told him her frown tightening. "Of all the stupid stunts, this takes the proverbial cake. What were you thinking Rex? Fighting at school because some kid was taunting you? Do you want me to list the reasons that was a bad idea? Why didn't you just ignore him or tell a teacher? You know better then to give into a bully, that's what they want."

"I know it was stupid and idiotic. He just pushed my buttons. He said that my birth parents abandoned me because I was street trash. He said you'd do the same soon enough," he whispered picking at his meal. Tears were forming in his eyes. "I don't know what happened to my birth family, I do wonder sometimes if they did abandon me. I know their probably dead or they would have found me by now. Still..."

Six removed his glasses and placed a comforting shoulder on his son's shoulder. "I'm sure your birth parents loved you as much as we do Rex. We'll never abandon you I promise. That doesn't change the fact that your impulsive behavior could have had far worse consequences." His son nodded understanding so Six continued. "Your grounded for the next two weeks. No TV, video game, or phone privileges. You can only use the computer for homework. No hanging out with your friends or going on patrol. You come straight home after tutoring session. You will be making this up to me with one on one training session this weekend at Hope. You need to learn to control your temper better. Am I understood? Good now lets eat before the meal get cold."

After final bell Rex reported to the trig class. Mr. Buchiner was sitting at his desk grading papers. He gave a small smile as his favorite student entered his room. "Right on time Rex that's good. Are you ready for your first tutoring session?"

"Sure Mr. B if my student ever gets here. Where is McKelly?" Something was heard skating across the floor followed by a painful shove sending Rex into the teacher's desk. "Yo Pukenier I'm here? When's this boring tutoring session gonna start? I've got rails to grind."

"Mr. Stone, may I remind you that skate boarding in the school is not allowed. Now take your seat. You both are here for the next hour so try to make it work." The two teens glared at one another as Rex took out his trig tools and opened to a clean sheet of paper. McKelly plopped in his seat looking bored to death.

"Alright, I thought we do a basic review for today. The different angles of the triangle are known as sine, cosine, and the tangent. Sine is defined as the ratio of the side opposite the angle to the hypotenuse. Cosine is ratio of the adjacent leg to the hypotenuse. While the tangent is the ratio of the opposite leg to the adjacent leg. Remember if you know two of the angles its easy to find the length of the third. For example if I wanted to figure out the length of the hypotenuse I would use the formula..."

"Boring... I wanted to be lectured I would have sat through math class without my Ipod. This stuff is stupid."

Counting to ten Rex spoke. "Its not stupid trig is used all the time to help solve engineer and survey problems. It's important to know if your going into different fields. Now lets try this again. The formula for finding the sine is a over c or the opposite leg divided by the hypotenuse. Why don't you try to solve this?" Rex encourage showing him a simple formula. McKelly stared at it before scribbling some nonsense on the paper not even trying. "Why did you do that? Come on this is easy once you memorize the formulas."

"Math is boring and this is too hard. I rather just have fun."

"Well, I'd rather not serve a month detention so could use please try harder? How about we review the formulas and theories? See, if you learn the mnemonics its easier to recall the laws. They go like this: Sine = Opposite ÷ Hypotenuse,

Cosine = Adjacent ÷ Hypotenuse, Tangent = Opposite ÷ Adjacent. Can you remember that?" Rex let out a sigh of frustration as his pupil was to busy listening to music to pay attention. He discretely touched the device deactivating it for good with his nanites. "Can you please be serious about this? Don't you want to pass?"

"Understand something freak, trig and I don't get along. I can read the texts and practice the formulas, but I ain't ever going to pass. So you should just chill and get ready to serve your dentition."

A shadow fell on the boys as Mr. Buchnier approached. He had notice the problem and decided to help Rex out. "Mr. Stone; the problem isn't the work being hard it's that you lack the effort to try harder. You could actually do well if you didn't always give up before trying. Rex struggles in other classes, but he doesn't give up because its hard. If you put as much effort into doing the work as you do skateboarding you might actually pass."

"You know trig can only improve your skateboarding skills. Think about it, if you understood the relationship between angles and stuff you could get some serious grindage. So, are you willing to try again?" McKelly nodded and started paying attention as Rex explained the angles and the formulas used to find the answer. It was hard work, but the latino teen refused to give up.

Every day after school Rex worked hard to prepare McKelly for the test. He would give the boy encouragement to help keep him on track. Sometimes he drew pictures of skate parks showing the relation of the problems to the math. Finally the day of the big test came. Most of the students had crammed all week for this. Rex was uneasy, not because he didn't think he pass, but because he was worried that his pupil wouldn't. He could hear McKelly muttering under his breath and constantly erasing and rewriting answers. Finally the tests were handed in.

The next day the tests were handed back. Rex had gotten an A+ being the only student to get all the answers right. The others let out shouts of joy at getting Bs or scraping by on Cs. Rex stayed behind wondering what his pupil had gotten. Mr. Buchnier had held his test back because he wanted to talk to them both. "Rex, I think you did an excellent job tutoring this past week or so. You have the makings of a fine tutor and should consider signing up to be an official one. That being said, you should be proud of yourself Mr. McKelly. You managed to pass with a C-. I expect you to keep up the good work. Dismissed."

"Alright I passed! Thanks freak this will get my old man off my back for sure! Don't expect since you helped me we'll be friends. I'll go a bit easier on you, but that's it. Later freak." Rex shook his head and just headed for last period glad that trial of normal life was over.

* * *

The next day Rex went to Hope to check on his mom's research and to see if there were any missions for the Gears. He entered the design section where Jacob was working on one of the cure guns, (they look like the ones from Ben 10). "Hey Jacob, how are you doing today? Are Kate and Caleb doing okay?"

"Hi Rex, good to see you. Kate and Caleb are doing great. We're all hoping your family can come over soon for dinner. Kate's making her famous mash potatoes," the Engineer said looking up from his project.

"I'll mention it to Mom later. So what are you up to exactly? Trying to modify her cure gun?" Rex asked curiously. He understood the basic principle of the guns even though his mom had to lie about the source of the nanites. No one knew where she got the cure ones despite asking her multiple times. His mom had designed a machine to extract excess nanites from him once they discovered he could cure people.

The cure gun worked by having him preprogramed his nanites to cure remotely before they were frozen in cryostasis inside the cartridge chamber. When the trigger was pulled the nanites were superheated into action as they passed through a special chamber. Once discharged from the barrel they formed a laser beam that passed through the skin of the target. The nanites would then attach themselves to the active ones recalling them through the beam into the catridge. Once full it injected itself with the deactivated nanites for study. The only problem was there were only a dozen cure guns and they held up to five cartridges. There was also their half life of lasting only about three or four weeks before needing to be recharged. Unknown to anyone once the nanite beam entered the person the preprogrammed nanites sent out a wireless signal to Rex, who had to be in range, to remotely monitor and take over if his preprogramed instructions failed or the EVO resisted. His mom and him had worked to increase the life of the nanites, range, and ensure the programming stuck, but overall it wasn't enough. It's why the cure guns only had a seventy five percent chance of working. For one hundred percent efficiency Rex had to physically cure someone.

"Yes, I don't know where your mom gets the nanites or how she programs them, but I'm glad they work. I'm attempting to modify the cryochamber so the nanites last longer. Also my team and I are hoping to find a way to communicate with these nanites so we can reprogram them once they've done their job instead of just storing the deactivate ones for study. Its slow going, but I'm hopeful we'll be successful."

"I hope you succeed to. We'll I'm going to go see how what Mom's up to. I'll see you later," Rex said exiting the lab. He made his way to the Petting Zoo where he found his Mom giving a check up to one of the monster bird EVOs with Dr. Rhodes. The two females were running a check on the nanites and treating an injured leg. He came up behind Holiday giving her a hug before kissing her on the cheek. "Hey, how's it going? Learn anything new today?"

"Nice to see you to son. As a matter of fact I have learned something new thanks to the data sent to me by Valentina. Her observations of EVOs in the wild combined with my own has led to a breakthrough with understanding how the nanites change animals. It does appear that the changes in their bodies are related to their physical health and mental state at the time. If we could find an EVO animal in midchange we could work on a way of curing them as well as humans. Our "cure" is still unstable when it comes to animals or plants you know," Holiday said as she showed him her notes. She squeezed his hand to let him know she understood he tried hard to cure everyone, but he was still learning about his abilities. Suddenly her ear comm chirped. "Yes, what is it?"

"Hey sis, you and Rex might want to get down here. I just learned something interesting from my latest hack of Providence files. It could be a real game changer," Beverly said excitedly. Wondering what she learned they both hurried to the auxiliary base to go over her latest discovery.

When they got down there Six was already waiting for them by the command center. Bev's fingers were flying across the keyboard as she continued to hack and bring up files. Annie was sitting down on one of the chairs trying to stay out of the way. Noah and Claire were just entering from the research area. "What is it? What have you discovered?"

Beverly didn't look up from her work she was in the zone. With a few clicks of the keys she brought up surveillance footage from a camera in a city. It was dark and the image was grainy despite her best efforts to clean it up. The camera seemed to zoom in on one of the buildings. Something near the top floor shattered the glass. An EVO fell to the ground. Providence agents that had been dispatched to the scene were chasing the creature as it tore down city blocks. About five blocks later the EVO returned to normal form shocking the group.

"No way, how did that happen? How could an EVO revert to human form naturally?" Rex asked. Beverly grinned as the screens changed to flashing black and white barriers. It looked like little bombs were about to go off infecting the system, but she successfully bypassed the firewall gaining access to some of Providence secure files. She clicked on a file bringing it up on the screen. It was a lab report written by Dr. Fell. In it was a details on the incident including the fact that a serum was used to temporally activate latent nanites before returning them to the original state. It was a major deal to the man considering his past record when it came to dealing with EVOs. "Unbelievable."

"Told you I found something interesting. I've been hacking into Providence as well as some other government files for sometime now. Considering there are very few records at all about the Nanite Project before the event it's not been easy. No one knows for certain who exactly was on the project, where it was or what they were doing, or who was sponsoring them; at least not the public at large. I've manage to unlock a few cryptic files from the mainframe. According to this fragmented document the inventor of this serum, one Gabriel Rylander, was a lead scientist on the project. If he's smart enough to create something like this you have to wonder what he's up to. Is he trying to cure EVOs or make more of them?"

Holiday was examining the notes on the serum with Claire. The girl had worked hard in the lab studying the samples of unstable nanites Circe had passed them along with her the information she had learned. Seeing how intrigued her mentor was Claire didn't want to give her bad news, but she had to speak up. "If this serum could be reversed engineered into a cure then it can also be modified to create EVOs or possibly stabilize then reprogram activated nanites."

Annie frowned looking at her friend puzzled. "Why would anyone want to modify activated nanites? Wouldn't that make an EVOs condition worse?"

"Better depending on how you look at it. Here, this flash drive contains recording and data that Circe's been able to uncover for us," Clair said plugging it in. Instantly the screen changed to show a broken down castle under a blood red sky. Behind them they heard a gasp and the sounds of someone trying to stay standing. They all looked at Rex, who was twitching up a storm at the sight on the screen. Six, was telling him to breathe as Holiday checked his vital making sure he was okay. Noah was the first to piece it together.

"Rex, you woke up from the event in Abysus didn't you? This is all starting to make sense. The instability in Abysus, Van Kliess powers and knowledge, why you thought he recognized you. Abysus was the epicenter of the event and Van Kliess probably was a scientist on the project. The explosion that scattered the nanites must have fused him with damaged nanites granting him unbelievable power, but restricting his movements. If he was there along with Rylander then they both know about your past."

"We need to find Rylander before Providence or Van Kliess does. If they get to him first then any hope for finding a cure or the truth about your past could be lost. The only question is where is he and how do we get there? Do we have a jump jet or something for cruising the world?" Annie asked the group. They were all silent as they thought the problem over. The answer surprisingly came from Rex.

"We need Providence help. I'm sure with their resources they've already figure out where Rylander is. Mom, Dad, somehow you've got to convince White Knight he's needs your help on this. If you can get on aboard then maybe we can hitch a ride with them. I need answers." His parents nodded. Six went to contact White Knight and Holiday asked for Claire and Annie's help to pack up her field lab kit. Beverly was going to continue hacking to see if she could turn up more data as Noah and Rex made preparations for the Gears equipment. Hopefully this mission would end in their favor.

* * *

In Abysus the final member of the Gear team was busying working up a sweat as she practiced her martial arts against some of the lower level members of Van Kliess empire. So far the mission hadn't been easy. Van Kliess trusted very few people; even among the elite Pack members he shared very few secrets. Circe had to use all her cunning and wit to learn anything useful. She had reluctantly become BFFs with Breach though her mental state made her a less then reliable source of information. Skalamander grossed her out and Biowulf didn't trust her saying she needed to prove herself to him.

What she had gleaned were a few important facts. One, Van Kliess worked on the Nanite Project and was here when the Event happened infusing him with his powers. Two, not only did he need a constant supply of fresh nanites to survive he was attempting to stabilize his own so he could leave. Three, he was experimenting with different nanites with a machine he was building, something he hinted at would grant EVO a whole new level of power. Four, he was _very_ interested in Rex for some reason. Her urge to protect her friend was what was pushing her. At night she would practice with her rope dart or sneak away to train in her power suit. She would work with other EVOs to improve her powers. Nothing would keep her from succeeding in her mission, so to that end she needed to find better sparring partners.

Circe stood her ground holding her arms in a hooked position. She darted in hooking one foe with her left hand as her right punched him. She gave a short kick to the feet before using a double arm parry to deflect an incoming attack. Dispatching one sparring partner she stood her ground as the EVO bouncer split into two coming after her. She did a front snap kick followed by a side kick to finish off the double EVO. A third was coming up from behind her so she waited until he was almost on top of her before attacking with a hammer fist. She took a few deep breaths looking around for any other opponents, her heart pounding, sweat pouring off her body, her knuckles starting scar. The sound of clapping startled her as she whipped around ready to attack with a mantis claw only to be stopped as Van Kliess held her arm in the air squeezing it. "Ahhhh, please let go. I'm sorry I attacked you."

"As you should be," he whispered looking around at the fallen EVOs. He tsked kicking a few of them. "It's quite difficult to find reliable assistance these days. My dear, you are one of the rare members who is competent in your powers. Why are you sparring with your fists instead of your mouth?"

"Its important... that I... stay fit. My powers...can only take me so far. Should Providence attempt to use their collars on me or I find myself in close quarters a good defense will serve me well," Circe explained as she cleaned herself up. She could feel him eyeing her and knew he was deciding whether or not to invite her along on a mission. "There's talk of an upcoming mission. I would be grateful for another chance to prove myself to you Master. I know I failed to prevent the Gear member from flooding the underground, but I managed to protect our forces well."

"That you did my child. Your particular talents could be quite useful where we're going. You see recently an old friend of mine has resurfaced. He could be very useful in the completion of my machine. He's hiding in the Amazon. I could use your help in keeping the resistance busy while I chat with him. Are you up for it?" Circe bowed saying she lived to serve him. Smiling evilly Van Kliess helped her up as they made their own preparations for travel.

* * *

Currently four members of the Gears were hiding in the cargo bay of the Keep mentally preparing themselves for the battle ahead. It had taken a little convincing and maybe a threat or two, but a small contingent of Hope scientists were allowed to come on the mission. It seemed White Knight didn't trust Dr. Fell not to bungle the mission. While the two scientist had argued with one another the four members had stowed away and were hidden in the back corner of the bay. Spyder had remained behind at the base to monitor the mission remotely.

The four teens were nervous, especially Rex. He was trying to keep his optimism low. The chance of finding out who he really was and what happened to his birth family were good, but if Rylander wasn't willing to talk or died then where would that leave him. He paced back and forth in circles trying to calm down.

"Generator, Rex, chill for a minutes. Its going to work out fine you'll see. Have a little faith," Wingman told his friend. Suddenly the Keep started quaking as the boxes not secured went flying. The teens rolled across the floor trying to hold on to something. "What's going on?"

"I don't know, but at least I'm not responsible for it!" Chaos called out. She was pressing herself against the wall of the bay as the ship started shaking. They could feel it starting to descend as the panels started to spark. She tried to reach into her tool kit to get a diagnostic scanner, but was thrown violently to the floor. App crawled over to her friend asking if she was alright which she nodded to.

Generator placed his hands on the walls. Blue lines shimmered as he talked to the Keep asking what was wrong. It responded by informing them that it had been attacked by ground fire. Some of the rotors had been shot causing the giant helicarrier to lose altitude. According to the Keep the humans in the navigation room were attempting to keep it afloat. "Screw human fallibility I'm taking control." he whispered. More blue lines appeared snaking through the ship until they reached the control room where Captain Callan was trying to regain control.

"I've almost got it, what the I've been locked out of the controls!" He shouted panicked. Dr. Fell, who had strapped himself into a crash harness, eyes started to bug out. "Do something you idiot before we all die!"

"I'm trying to, but something taken control of the ship remotely." Indeed something had redirected power to the other rotor and adjusting the alignment of the ship. The controls seem to move themselves as the helicarrier was brought out of its descendent. According to the readouts something had partly repaired the damaged rotor as they came to land on a mesa in the middle of the jungle. A beeping told him the cargo and vehicle bays had opened upon impact. "Is everyone in one piece?" A chorus of yes was heard. "Alright, we'll take the scout ships and at least two assault vehicles to the coordinates. I want everyone to weapon up. We have no idea what's in the jungle or what surprises await us. I'll need repair groups to get to work on fixing the keep. Dr. Holiday, you and your team will be riding in the second assault vehicle with some of my men. I know that you and your husband can defend yourselves just fine, but I'm not sure the rest of your party can." Holiday nodded, she was dressed in her field uniform with weapons holster to her side along with her field kit. Everyone made their way to the vehicles heading to their destination unaware that they were missing three hoverboards.

The group of heroes arrived in the middle of a war zone. Van Kliess troops were doing their best to get passed the high tech security system to the base. According to the Gears cowls an energy force field was protecting the base invisible to the naked eye. Within minutes the battle went from frantic to crazy as the Providence vehicles arrived. Soldier on foot started firing weapons at EVOs. Portals opened up all around them sending the gunfire to different locations. Skalamander was trying to blow up the scout ships by firing crystals at them. Biowulf was protecting his master who was making his way to the energy field. They almost didn't see Circe as she was in the background using her powers to summon the native EVOs for assistance.

"We got to get in there before this turns ugly. Chaos, can you disrupt the force field long enough for me to slip through?"

"No problem, I've got the perfect item for that bit of sabotage."

"Good; Wingman and App you run interference with the Pack. Chaos, protect the Hope scientists. Spyder, can you hear me?"

"Loud and clear familia. I've set up remote access to take control of Providence vehicles for a short time. I've also been monitoring the area via satalights. You guys are really in deep trouble," Spyder's voice crackled through the link. They could hear the sounds of her typing furiously away at the keyboard. "According to these same satalights that base is radiating with heat so the lab must be filled with equipment of some type. There's one individual inside and he's armed. There is definitely a secure mainframe in there that I can't access because of the shield. You go in there and I won't be able to help."

"Understood, just do your best for the rest of the team. Let's do this," Generator said. He started flying down towards the shield with Chaos right behind him. Their approach was noticed by Skalamander, who fired his shards at the group. Generator fired a grappling from his Boogie Pack catching the shard and tossing it back at the EVO lizard hurling him several feet back into the jungle. Chaos zipped in front of the team leader pulling a small cylinder from her pouch. Pressing a button she armed the device tossing it at the top of the force field. It crackled and sizzled as a small hole formed. Generator flew through the hole just as it closed.

Van Kliess was watching the situation using his intellect to ponder over the situation. He figured Providence would show up to prevent him from taking Rylander and his project. He wasn't surprised they had requested help from the Hope team. He scoffed as he watched Providence lead scientist Dr. Fell fumble with his weapon as Dr. Holiday had to shove him to the ground while firing her blaster nailing one of his pawns in the leg. Her husband was also doing quite well taking on a group of five all by himself. It was the Gears appearance that was unsettling. He'd been keeping up with the news reports of them showing up in different areas helping out in situations though how they ended up here made him wonder if they were connected to one of the groups. The answers could wait for another day.

"Biowulf, you're in charge. Circe, be a dear and open the field for me. I've come to far to leave empty handed."

Inside the base Generator was making his way to the central lab. He had formed his BFS slicing through the security droids with ease. As tendrils shot out of the wall he changed it into his battle saw destroying them in seconds. He reached the lab door finding it locked. Pressing his hand to the door he used his technopathy to open it. The light was dim in the lab and it took his eyes a second to adjust. The place was filled with a variety of machines including a reactor of some kind. On the left side was a computer council and monitoring system and to the right a work table with tools and half finished projects. He took a step forward halting when he felt a gun barrel against his head. He raised his hands above his head, "I'm not a threat here."

"I'll be the judge of that. Turn around slowly," Rylander said, his gun never wavered. He had watched the battle outside from his monitor. He knew that both Providence and Van Kliess would show up after he sent the packages. That's why he upgraded his defense system. Since he was keeping up with current events he knew the scientists in gray and blue belonged to Hope. What he didn't know was whose side the teens in the power suits belong to or what they wanted. "I'm only going to ask this once. Who are you and what do you want?"

"My name is Generator. I'm the leader of the Gears, an unaffiliated group who wants to protect the innocent, human or EVO, from those who do them harm. We didn't come here to steal your data or to kill you. My team just wants to ensure your safety. I was hoping you might be willing to share your possible cure with us or at the very least answer some questions about the Nanite Project."

Rylander sensed the sincerity of the boy's words. The teen was being honest. He lowered the gun a fraction not taking his eyes off the teen. "How do I know this isn't some trick? For all I know you could be agents working for the Consortium as payback for what I did to one of their members." Even with the cowl on he could tell the teen was confused. "You're serious aren't you? You just want some answers to some questions and a look at my serum." He lowered his gun gesturing for the boy to follow him to the computer bank.

As they walked over the building shook. Explosions could be heard as the facility was under barrage. The force field was straining under the pressure. A quick look at the monitor was enough to tell them Van Kliess was seconds away from getting inside the building. Brushing past Rylander Generator interfaced with the computer using his nanites to lock down entry to the lab hoping to slow their foe down. "I don't know how much longer this facility can stay standing. We should evacuate as soon as possible. My friends and I can take you somewhere safe. If you should trust anyone I suggest going with the Hope group. They have morals."

"I'm sure they do Generator. You know, you remind me an awful lot of my godson Rex," he replied casually. He saw the teen stiffen for a second, but then relax. "Rex was the younger son of my best friend. His family was involved with the Nanite Project. Our benefactors wanted us to use the nanites to grant them powers after they saw what they could do. You see, my godson was injured in a lab accident. His older brother suggested using the nanites to save his life which they did while granting him powers."

"That's a good story, but you'll have to finish it later. We've got trouble Van Kliess is here!" The teen hero formed his Slam Cannon chewing up the ground firing it at the door as the mad man used his gold gauntlet to slice the projectile in half. He morphed his Punk Busters jumping at his foe intending to kick him only to be caught up in a mud wall. Generator worked furiously to free himself.

"It's a pleasure to see you both again. Ah Rylander its been a while. I was hoping that you could help me with a new project I'm working on." The evil EVO took control of the vines sending them snaking across the ground. Rylander shot at them with his gun ducking behind his computer bank. The vines impaled the computer system destroying it.

"Van Kliess you idiot look what you did! Do you realize how important the data in that computer was?" Van Kliess ignored him using the dirt around him to form hands as he tried to grab the Rylander only to be hit by the Smack Hands. Not to be deterred he called on more nanite infused soil creating spinning rivers of dirt at the two opponents. Generator jumped up grabbing the pipes in the ceiling, swinging on them, before releasing his hold. As he flipped he created his BFS again cutting through the mud. Van Kliess held off his attack with his gauntlet shoving it to the side.

He struck out at the teen only for him to block it. Generator aimed a low kick at his foes knee, but Van Kliess intercepted his attack with a kick of his own. Generator did a combo right hook with a left cross and Van Kliess weaved out of the way before stabbing him with his gold fingers. The suit went crazy as the fingers tried to dig through the suit as before, but this time the suit sent out an feedback pulse electrocuting Van Kliess. The holes quickly closed up. While this had been going on Rylander had rushed to his work table securing a cube of sorts before pressing a button on the wall. A loud humming was heard as the reactor started to go haywire.

"I've set the base to self destruct in two minutes. If you value your life you'll get out of here while you still can," Rylander informed him. Not being need to told twice Generator grabbed the scientist before forming his Boogie Pack. He flew straight up plowing through the ceiling. "You need to warn everyone about the self destruct so they can get out of the blast range."

"Spyder! I need to you to take control of the vehicles now! Get them as far away from here as you can! Everyone else pick up the stray soldiers before hightailing it!"

"You heard the man let's move it people!" Wingman commanded as he fired a final shot at Biowulf. Van Kliess army was disappearing one by one as Breach created portals to take them back to Abysus. Hopping onto his hoverboard he flew low to the ground before snatching two downed men. Thanks to the power suits bio muscles amplification it was easy to lift them.

App, who at some point in the fight managed to hijack a Providence stealth cycle, snagged a running soldier. "Hold on tight, I'm getting us out of here. Chaos, have you cleared the blast zone?"

"Yeah, my clumsiness sent us down a hill, but we should be safe here. I'll meet you and the others at the rendaview point in ten. Did everyone else make it out?"

"Confirmed, I'm driving the vehicles out of range now. Oh turn around you stupid jet, yes. Its going to blow in five, four, three, two, one!" Spyder's satilight footage shorted out as the explosion rocked the Amazon jungle. The blast destroyed the clearing and everything within a mile of the place. Her system went nuts as she lost contact for several anxious minutes. She hurried to reestablish connections letting out a sigh of relief as all the good guys were accounted for. She activated a secure link to his sister's comm. "Sis, our boy and Rylander are about a half a mile to the left of your position. You might want to go pick him up."

* * *

Generator was breathing hard, looking over his suit as it ran diagnostics. Waving his hand over his left forearm a holographic map of the area appeared. He studied the display for a moment before turning it off. "A tank containing both Providence and Hope agents is on its way. Providence will most likely want to take you into custody seeing as Hope doesn't have the manpower to override them. I could take you somewhere else if you want."

Rylander shook his head placing a hand on the boy's shoulder. "Let me deal with Providence. I may have lost most of my work, but I can rebuild. They need me to help fix the nanite problem, but as Van Kliess can testify I can be somewhat difficult to work with. I might "forget" some stuff or conveniently misplace my inventions. They might even have to give in to some terms if they want my help, such as being allowed to collaborate with an independent lab for research purposes."

He smiled for a second before pulling out the cube from his pocket. He handed it to the teen who looked at him through his goggles in confusion. The cube went from opaque to transparent revealing a large unusual shaped nanite "This is the Omega-1 Nanite. It was designed to act as human to machine interface with the nanites. Its got a few special features that I don't have time to tell you. This nanite is the key to everything. I promised to protect it, but now the duty falls to you."

"You're trusting me with this? Why?"

"Let's just say I know that you won't misuse its powers. Promise me something. If someone attempts to steal the nanite or if you believe that your current abilities are unable to protect the Omega you'll inject yourself with it. Its designed to synch up with its host so that it only will work for that person even if it's somehow extracted from the host."

"I promise, I better go. Good luck Dr. Rylander and thank you for everything." Rylander watched the boy fly off before turning to the approaching tank. The doors opened and the soldiers marched out with the guns aimed at him. "I'm unarmed, though I could use a good doctor to patch up my arm. I think I might have broken something in the escape attempt."

They hustled him inside the assault vehicle as they started heading for the repaired Keep. Dr. Fell was to busy trying to recover from shock so Holiday came over to check on the patient. As she tended to his wrist something slipped out of her armor's pocket onto the floor. Rylander picked up a rather battered photograph. "Here you go miss. Do you always travel with a picture of your family?"

"Yes, I like to keep them close. I'm sure your family will be happy to hear from you as well. I know when I get back home my husband Six and I are going to give our son Rex a big hug. Family is the most important thing in the world don't you agree?" She asked. Rylander only nodded vowing silently to keep quiet for now about a few things. After all, his godson deserved to have bit of normal downtime with his family didn't he?


	3. Diagnostic

Rex was in his room trying on the new green suit his dad had given him. He refused to wear that brown monstrosity ever again! The junior prom was tomorrow night and there was so much to do before then! Last week when the school first put up the signs for the junior prom he didn't know what that was at all. Noah and the girls had a good laugh over his expense before explaining what prom was all about. It did sound like a lot of fun if you got to ride in a limo and eat at a fancy restaurant, but he wished the tickets weren't so damn expensive. He had to ask for a raise to his allowance to even afford it!

The teen was struggling to properly tie his tie when there was a knock on the door. "Come in," he called out. His dad entered the room smiling as he saw his little mini me. "Thanks for the loan of the suit, but how do you manage to tie this long thing everyday? I struggled with the bow tie on the other one so I thought this one wouldn't be too difficult."

"I've had lots of practice, here let me help you," Six said grasping the article of clothing. He expertly tied it a few seconds. Pulling a comb out of his pocket he brushed down the boy's hair over his protests. He turned him to face the mirror on the wall all the while trying to keep his face stoic. "I have to admit you look good in green. Your mom is going to enjoy taking tons of photos of you tomorrow night. I honestly didn't know prom meant that much to her."

"I think it's because her date stood her up at her own. No wonder she's gone out of her way to help. I mean she even bought my buttenier and Annie's corsage for tomorrow night. I'm just glad that Annie is getting better at controlling her clumsiness because I don't want to miss prom by winding up in the emergency room," he commented. After inspecting the suit once more he decided to show his mom how he looked. The two of them went downstairs where Rex was surprised to see they had a guest. Sitting at the kitchen table drinking rice milk was Valentina. The lovely woman was in her civilian wear with her auburn hair tied up in a messy bun.

_"Hola gringo. Elegante traje que llevas. Salir en una fecha con una muchacha agradable?."_

_ "Voy a junior prom con un amigo mañana. Puedo apuesto a usted? "_

_ "Sí, puede hacerlo. Un príncipe encantador"._

"Can we please return to English? My Spanish is not up to par," his mother asked gently. The two speakers nodded as Rex showcased his suit. Holiday approved of his new suit saying it made him look very mature. "You're going to have so much fun tomorrow night Rex. I promise it will be an experience to remember."

"Thanks, I'm sure it will be. I'm going to try to make it a good experience for Annie considering she's never had a date that ended will. She's cute and a fun girl, still I wish I could have taken Circe. You think she'd want to go to prom with me?" he asked.

"I'm sure she would; its just bad luck she has to "work" on prom night," Holiday told him carefully choosing her words. Valentina was an ally for Hope, but she was still an eco terrorist. It wasn't safe to divulge all their secrets for fear she might crack under an interrogation. "I actually called Valentina to help out with an EVO problem so your prom would go without interruption."

Setting her rice milk down the Mexican lady turned all business like. She pulled out a folder with pictures of a wild crazy rabbit EVO. She noticed how Rex cringed at the sight of the beast. That particular EVO had been terrorizing the citizens of Haven City for a whole week now. It had destroyed several Providence tanks, sent the grunts and few Hope scientists to the hospitals, and eaten the entire farmer's market out of fresh vegetables. The Gears had attempted a humane capture of the creature only to get their butts kicked big time with the EVO still eluding capture. "It's hard to imagine something that started out so cute and fluffy could cause this much terror. I don't normally condone any animals in cages or killing them, but after reading the report I'm reconsidering my position on that. If this EVO is actively seeking out humans to hunt then that's a problem."

"So you would actually be okay with Hope keeping it in our Petting Zoo? I'm shocked, then again its better then seeing Providence blow it to smithereens." Valentina nodded in agreement. She and her team would begin the hunt after sunset. They would have to be extremely careful not to tip off the authorities or Providence that they were in the area. It would cause a whole mess of problems. After finishing her milk she said her goodbyes to the family to return to her hotel.

The next night Green Fist still hadn't captured the EVO, but they were refusing to give up. They would search all night for the critter, hopefully keeping it away from the school gym. The teens had assembled at Rex's house where Holiday was snapping picture after picture. "You looks so beautiful Annie. That color really brings compliments your features nicely."

"Ah thanks Mrs. Hayashi. You know this is the first school function I'll attend uninjured," Annie laughed with Claire. Her best friend also looked fetching in her dress. Claire was rummaging around her clutch making sure she packed her makeup and that her phone was secure. If that EVO showed up at the dance she wanted to be able to reach help quickly.

"Remember, the four of you are supposed to be home by eleven thirty. No drinking anything alcoholic or starting fights. Boys, keep your hormones in check. I don't want to hear about anything sexual happening am I clear?" Noah and Rex nodded furiously. Six dipped his head and waved them off. The four friends hurried out to the limo ready to enjoy their night off fun.

Back in Abysus Circe was staring miserably at the wall of her room. It was pretty simple stone room. There were no decoration on the walls. It was simply furnished with a bed, nightstand and a vanity dresser. She stared at the dress she'd worn at the gala sadly. Rolling over on the bed she removed a flyer from under her pillow. She traced the picture looking forlorn.

"What's the matter Circe? Is pretty girl unhappy that she's missing a silly little dance? I don't understand your desire. Do you just want to see your toy again. Have to admit he's shiny," Breach stated. She had just portaled into the room once again refusing to use the door. She didn't quite understand the concept of politeness.

Circe frowned, turning over in the bed giving Breach a dark look. Refusing to acknowledge the other girl she yanked her dress off the hanger and started to change right then and there. "I don't know what your life was like before Breach, but every girl dreams of going to the prom with a cute guy and I'm no exception. I'm not going to sit here wallowing in misery."

Breach tsked and shook her head. She giggled a lot before saying, "You know Van Kliess won't let you leave. Even if you took your shiny toy you'd never reach the city for the dance. Oh, you want me to take you there. Why should I do that?" Circe pointed to her phone which Breach picked up in one of her hands. She scrolled through the picture gallery until she found a picture of Thumber. Clapping one pair of hands in delight she understood. "Ah, you want to bring the EVO back to Van Kliess as a gift. He won't care that you ran off to prom if you get him a nice pet to munch on."

"Exactly my point and who knows? Maybe someone will dance with you. Do you have anything else to wear?" Breach nodded, opening a portal to her pocket dimension. She pulled out a nice satin blue dress with cap sleeves with a ribbon detail and some low heels. She put it on as Circe twisted her hair into a bun before doing her makeup. Once the girls were finished they ported away to Haven City.

The dance was in full swing as the students of Benjamin Franklin High danced. The theme was Love Conquers All. There were pictures of couples who conquered obstacles in their quest for love. There were props of dangers such as waterfalls, volcanoes, and cut outs of bad guys. The food table had several delicious treats and bubbly punch. The music was blasting as couples boogied on the floor.

On the dance floor Noah twirled Claire around pulling her into him then whipping her out. Claire laughed as she grabbed his hands and they started dancing together. Nearby Rex winced as Annie once again stepped on his foot. Ignoring the pain the two of them got close as they twisted around siding up to another matching each others movements. They were having a lot of fun.

"It's nice to have a normal night off isn't it?" Claire shouted over the music.

"Totally, we've been so caught up with training and helping people I think we forgot how to have fun. We should have more downtime you know?" Noah replied.

"Agreed. Let's schedule a movie date or something!" Annie said.

"Maybe we could have a family night or something? My parents tried to have one at least once a month," Rex suggested. The others nodded as the music changed to a slow dance. The boys bowed to the girls taking their hands. Just as they were going to start to slow dance something big burst through the gym doors. Everyone screamed as a giant carnivorous rabbit tore apart the food table. It turned its eyes on the students hopping at them crushing the DJ stand. Security moved in to try to help only to be kicked by its back legs.

"We've got to do something! I wish we brought our power suits," Rex whispered. They had taken refuge behind one of the displays. Many of the students were hiding or running for the door only to be blocked by the monster. He was debating to reveal his powers when three foes dressed in green appeared. "I wondered what took her so long!"

"Biruta, Carlos, evacuate the students. I'll handle our fury friend," Valentina opened. She snapped her whip grabbing a display hurling it at the rabbit getting its attention. The beast let out a roar gnashing its teeth as it hopped towards her. She somersaulted under it, getting to her feet she tossed a bola wrapping its feet up. The beast twisted around using its teeth to cut itself free. Snarling it went after using its front paws to claw at her. Valentina snapped her whip forcing it back. She withdrew her bouquet of flowers holding it out. Dodging around she released her flowers filling the area with the knockout gas.

The bunny screeched and twitched about. It went crazy bashing into the walls tearing up the place. Luckily the rest of the student body had evacuated save for the Gears. They had stayed behind to help much to Valentina's annoyance. "Get out of here! I can't get this EVO under control!" she called out. Seeing her distracted the beast took a swipe at her knocking her into the wall. A huge gash on her abdomen started to bleed.

"Valentina! We have to help her!" Claire said. She ripped the first aid kit off the wall hurrying over to her with Annie. Rex and Noah were doing their best to distract the beast calling it names. The rabbit turned ready to kill them when a red portal appeared in the middle of the gym floor. Circe stepped out using her mouth. Sonic waves hit the creature stunning it. Her high pitch wails sent Rex to his knees. Seeing him in pain she adjusted the frequency calling the beast towards her. "Breach, send it back to Abysus now!"

"Sure thing girlfriend ha ha!" Breach opened a portal sucking the creature up. She hoped that Skalamander and Biowulf could get the beast under control. If not Van Kliess would be angry about the damage caused by its rampage. Breach laughed some more smiling. "If this is what prom is like I should have come sooner."

"Circe, what are you doing here?" Rex asked walking over to her. She folded up her mouth and gave him a bashful look. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Valentina's partners coming in to take her for treatment. Police sirens could be heard as well as the tell-tale sounds of Providence getting closer. "Whose your friend?"

"Her names Breach, I convinced her to come here so I could have my prom experience. We thought we capture the rabbit as a present for Van Kliess. I guess the prom is ruined."

"Not quite, give us a second," Annie said. She and Claire attached the cellphone to an Ipod stand. Activating her phone's music section a slow song started to play. Rex held out his hand and Noah, after straightening his tux offered a hand to Breach, who smiled. "I figure there's time for one dance. Enjoy yourself." So that's what they did.

* * *

That weekend Noah and Rex decided to have a best bros trip. There was a big convention going on in a nearby city. Artisans, craftsman, and all kinds of talents had gathered to share their wares with others or offer advice on how to's on specific projects. Rex was really excited because one of his favorite artist, Moya Klines, was going to be at the convention. She was a great fantasy artist who was able to design 3D art with just the basic medias of colored pencils, paints, and pastels.

"I'm telling you Noah, she's amazing. Last year when we stopped in South Africa for a few weeks they had an exclusive exhibit at this local museum. She had donated her latest picture of the EVO safari and it was selling for 500 rand. I'm not sure the exchange rate, but it was totally amazing," Rex was telling his friend as they made their way to the convention center.

"Never seen you act like such a fanboy. Then again you're so secretive about your artwork. You won't even show us anything in your portfolio. When do we get to read this comic of yours anyways?"

"First off it's a graphic novel, second you'll see it once its perfected. Next, you've seen my art in class. Remember, we just finished our pastel unit by copying images onto painted paper?" The project had been rather messy with pastel colors running all over their clothes after Annie tripped over the dry rack sending most of the finished projects halfway around the room. Noah had cried as his image of basketball player turned into a blob. At least Rex's car wasn't to damaged.

Noah waved him off, "That's schoolwork, everyone has to do that if they chose art for an elective. We've never seen your personal stuff. Your mom said that when you guys were waiting for the adoption to go through you use to draw for hours. She said that some of your "builds" come from them correct?" Rex nodded, clutching his purple and silver portfolio tighter to his chest. He didn't know why he was scared to share his talents with others. He always wondered if it was good enough for the world.

The conversation came to a close as they entered the convention center, their minds blown away by the sheer amount of activity. Brightly colored streamers hung from the ceiling as banners in all sorts of shapes and sizes hung over each booth. There were tons of people moving in groups carrying bags full of goods laughing and talking. They could hear people talking loudly as they tried to barter and trade. The smell of delicious food wavered through the air. They took their maps finally realizing how big this place was. Noah smacked his lips anticipating some genuine old fashion candy to eat at nearby booth.

"What do you want to do first? I like to check out the joke booth for some new pranks. Oh man they've got sports, music, and all kinds of do it yourself projects. My mom says I need to learn to be more handy around the house."

"Moya's booth is at the far end of the convention center. She's there until four pm. Its eleven thirty now. If we stick to the map and don't lollygag we should be able to reach her booth by two. Oh I hope she likes my stuff!"

The first booth they stopped at was the make your own candy. It was a lot of fun as they watched the rock candy harden and be shaped. Another nearby booth had weaving of different items. The boys had no idea how much work went into separating the strands of fabric, dying them and then turning them into rugs or clothes. Noah, bought a beautiful red, black and yellow shirt for Claire. Rex then pulled him over to a wood carver class as the smell of sawdust caused him to sneeze. Rex ignored it getting tips from the carver on how to use the blade to carve beautiful shapes.

It was a magical time as they went to all the different booths. They did a lot of do it yourselves such a creating their own musical instrument or how to fix a leaky faucet. They both had fun as they took turns playing at the video game booth. Noah thought he need a second stomach to enjoy all the delicious foods served. Finally though they reached their destination, Moya Klines' booth. Hanging on the purple curtains or sitting on easels were different pictures. Some of them showed ordinary humans in magical places such as outer space or underground. What was truly captivating about some of the pieces was how realistic she made the EVOs appear. There was a picture of a forest of blinking trees that seemed to stare right into your soul. Another one showed a misty cloud forming into a black cat. Another was a water color painting of a human transforming into a winged EVO known as a pyretryx with a mixture of horror and wonder on its face.

"These are amazing. I can't believe the detail. There like a snapshot. Most people would fear or run away if they saw this in real life. Yet this is beautiful, enchanting, almost inviting," Rex said as he reached out to touch the one of the pieces only to snap his hand back in fear.

"Its okay, I like it when people interact with my art. I know my subject matter is controversial. I want to show the world that there is no reason to fear something simply because it looks ugly or might be dangerous. EVOs are a part of this world, they have their own uniqueness and beauty. I simply try to capture it, to be their voice against the masses," Moya explained. The boys turned and Noah had to hold Rex up his knees were shaking so badly. Moya was young maybe about twenty eight, with a blending of Native American skin, eyes and accent with her Irish hair and stature. She was dressed in a simple green jacket over a black sun dress with flats. "I assume by your interests you're a fan of my work?"

"A..a...big...big..fan! I've seen some of your work in galleries and museums around the world. I think its amazing how you can merge fantasy with reality, make it pop off the canvas. I really liked your piece titled, "Myths of Nanites", " Rex gushed out nearly forgetting to breathe.

"That's the one I did for the South African show last year. It was difficult to make the outline of creatures of myth just using the repeating pattern of nanites. It took me several weeks to shade it properly. Where are my manners? I'm Moya Kline and you are?"

"Rex Hayashi and this is my friend Noah Nixon. As you can tell I'm a big fan of your art. I was hoping you would look over some pieces I'm doing, maybe give me some pointers on this graphic novel. I know your not a comic artist, but..."

"I'd be glad to take a look. Just let me close up for a little bit. Come to the back I was just about to bring out some new pieces." The boys followed her to the back. She handed them each a soda before retrieving a large rectangle package. Opening it up she pulled out a large painting covered with a protective canvas. "Before I judge your art, what do you think of this one? I call it "The Hero's Arrival." The two teens were speechless as they saw a large picture, a combination of pastels, crayons, and paints, blended expertly together to show the battle at the UN. She had captured the Providence agents struggle against the vines. Her rendition of Holiday, Six, and Bobo working in perfect synch seem to leap out at them. The most amazing part was the Gears scattered around doing work. Rex was surprised to see even Circe there and questioned Moya about it.

"Oh, that one? I have a friend who works for the sewage department. They had a couple of cameras down there keeping an eye on construction. Most were destroyed by the East River flooding, but one survived. It showed an image of this girl using that weapon you see to beat the EVOs. I decided to add her in. You like?"

Rex nodded and Noah also said he was impressed. Moya smiled pleased. She then took a look at Rex's portfolio letting Noah have a look. Many of them were of different build ideas coming out of characters or Rex himself. He also had some pieces of his friends just hanging out. He then showed her the first five inked pages of the graphic novel he was working on. Noah bit his lip trying not to laugh. His graphic novel was about a EVO who could build machines and his team who were preparing for an epic battle.

"You have the raw talent, but you need to refine it. Crayons are alright if you are reaching out for a younger audience, but someone of your level should be thinking about using markers or proper ink colors. I can see how much you've progressed from the child images such as this one, ( a crayon picture of Rex with Smack Hands), to this one, (a sketch and inked picture of Generator saving a child). You've obviously been inspired by the recent media, but you should still try to make things your own. Be original, push the boundaries of fantasy, but don't forget the details. I think your graphic novel has potential if you can learn to master your art. I encourage you to keep working at it. Who knows one day you might have a show like me."

"I'd like that a lot. Thank you for meeting with me," he said, pleased by her compliments. He bit his tongue then asked if he could buy that picture from her for his parents. After haggling for awhile he and Noah left carrying the precious image. It would look great in Hope. All in all it was a good day.

* * *

Monday rolled around and it was typical last period of the school day. Rex was in his World Events class; the only class he shared with all his friends. Their teacher, a lovely young woman named Ms. Freedom, was writing on the whiteboard. She was a fair teacher and her lessons were always interesting. They had discussions on a lot of different events from around the world such as civil wars, economic crises, and recent headlines. She had just finished writing Group Project: Recent Events on the board. Turning around she faced the class. "As you know this week we'll be working in groups of two on creating presentations about a topic concerning the world right now. The two partners must make a visual of some kind for the presentation which will be eight minutes long. Each of you is responsible for contributing to half of the overall presentation as well as writing a three page essay with at least three sources, one which must be a book. The purpose of this assignment is to inform the class about a topic as well persuade a certain pov or offer a solution. The right half of the room will pick their partners from this bag and the left side will select the topic from this bag. I'll give you class time each day to work on the project. Next Monday you will present in the order of my choosing. Is that clear enough? Good then lets choose partners."

Rex was on the left side of the room with Annie so he knew that they wouldn't be partnered up and since both Claire and Noah were on the right neither would they. Rex was hopeful he'd be paired with one of his friends. He had gotten to know most of his classmates, but was still a bit self-conscious around them. Protecting his secret was the most important thing to him. He waited patiently for his name to be called only tapping his pen on the desk a few times. At last his name was called and Claire was his partner. Noah got stuck with Annie much to his dismay.

Ms. Freedom finished writing the names of the partners in her notebook before walking to the left side of the room. Most of the topics chosen so far had either a political or social theme. Finally it was his turn. Gulping he reached in the bag feeling around the felt until he pinched a slip of paper. He pulled it out and unfurled it. "Treatment of EVOS." Of course karma was biting him in the butt. It would be a difficult project for many reasons. He thought Annie's topic "Environmental vs Commercialism" would be an easier topic.

"You have the rest of the class period to work with your partner. I suggest you use this time wisely." The sound of chairs scrapping and the buzz of students filled the room. Rex had his notebook ready as Claire sat down at the desk next to him. "This should be interesting. I don't think the two of us have really worked together before."

"Not really, but I think its going to be fun to see how you handle the pressure. I'm in competition to be the valedictorian next year so I need to get a good grade on this project. So, what do you think we should do for a visual?" Claire asked him. She would let him have a say in the project, but she would be the dominate partner in this project.

"Um, maybe we could make a poster showing different types of EVOs. Then we could have a little cut outs of Providence Agents, Hope Scientists, and ordinary citizens. Maybe pairing them up with the pictures writing how they each treat the types of EVOs."

Claire nodded, that sounded like a good idea. She was already writing a list of books about human and animal rights they could use as a source. "What exactly should our presentation be on? Should we focus on the treatment of the EVOs by the different groups or offer alternative solutions. Should we broach the topic of human EVOs or incurables? Do you want to mention the "cure"?

"I think we should definitely talk about the different treatment methods, talking about the ethical issues and how their rights are being violated. I don't think talking about incurables is a good idea right now, but we can definitely mention the "cure". The more aware people are of the possibility of a cure the more likely we can persuade them to start thinking of EVOs as people instead of monsters. You want to meet in the library after school to work on the project? I could use helping citing sources, I've never done that before." Claire nodded her head.

The week was long and hard. On top of the project they had homework from other classes to deal with. Six also put them through a grueling two hour training session on Tuesday and Thursday afternoon. Saturday night the Gears went on a patrol coming across some wild EVOs that were terrorizing the countryside. It took a good five hours to round them up, tag them and release them back in the wild. Generator did attempt to cure a few of them successfully turning two back into a coyote and fisher. It felt good that his powers were getting stronger. Sunday he spent the afternoon with Claire practicing their presentation until he had it memorized. She would always correct him if he mispronounced something or skipped some words. She then checked his paper showing him where there were a few mistakes so he could type a fresh one for submission.

It was the day of the presentation and Rex was nervous. This was his first time presenting a project to the class. What if they laughed at him or he couldn't speak? If he messed up Claire would never forgive him! He started chewing the end of his pen as he watched the other presentations, making sure to take notes if the material showed up on a test. By some miracle Noah had survived a week working with Annie with just some minor bruises and a cut to his face. The two friends report was informative and persuasive with focus on environmental goals over commercialism. Claire and him were the last ones to present.

"Its going to be okay, don't worry. Take a few deep breaths and relax," Claire whispered to her friend. Once their poster was secure on the easel she took out a laser pointer for later and began to speak," Our topic is the treatment of EVOs and if it violates basic human and animal rights. As you can see on our visual there are three main classifications of EVOs: Humans, Animals, and Plants. Of these three main group my partner and I will focus on the treatment of animals and humans with a bit of mentioning on plants. EVOs are organisms that have active nanites that have altered their DNA in such a way they are no longer considered a normal member of their group. For example," Claire used her laser pointer to highlight a human EVO that had grown into a gray monstrosity with many different faces. She then circled a picture of a giant scorpion and lastly a forest of trees with moving limbs. "These are representations of different EVOs."

"The treatment of these EVOs ranges depending on how dangerous they are and what group encounters them. From our research it seems that many animal and plant EVOs are accepted in the wild by normal specimens. Indeed, they become new members in the world wide web, filling in spots on the food chain or adapting in new ways, that are beneficial for the habitat at large. From the pictures here, the mutated whales in this pod are still accepted as part of the group despite their differences. It seems that nature has successfully accepted and integrated the mutants without any problems that we are aware of. However the treatment by humans is quite different as my partner will be explaining."

Rex took one last glance at his note cards, swallowing nervously he borrowed the laser pointer and circled the section on civilians first. "Most civilians are frightened of EVOs running away in terror or trying to kill them on sight. Some civilians have developed an outright hatred to EVOs they actively pursue them for money before maiming them or forcing them to fight for profit. This cruel act is a violation of basic animal rights. Even if they may be dangerous forcing them to act like this for profit is sick. Animals have the right to live their lives in safe environment and not be tortured for sport. There are a few active civilians who take in sick EVOs tending to their wounds or releasing them from imprisonment believing that they shouldn't be locked up for inhuman experiments."

"The other two groups I wish to talk about are Providence and my mom's research facility Hope. Providence mandates that all EVOs, regardless of danger level or former status, must be captured or killed. The conditions in which they are kept in are small tight quarters with no privacy, little food or water, with guards shocking them. They have collars on them designed to weaken their powers or hurt them if they misbehave. Many of them have been dissected while alive or tortured by experiments breaking the ethical guidelines in the established scientific discovery. Many of you would argue that these violations don't apply to EVOs because of what they are, but the law mandates that they be treated as kindly as possible. Furthermore many of the test subjects are humans whose families love them. They asked Providence to help them not treat them as prisoners or violate their human rights because of an illness, which at its core this is."

"My mother's group Hope is different. She lets the animals run free providing them with the basic necessities and treating their wounds. She protects them from being killed and works to understand their changes. She also has invented a cure gun, which I'm not sure many of you know about. This gun has seventy percent rate of reverting human EVOs back to normal and five to ten percent on other types. Getting informed consent can be a challenge, but some human EVOs retain their minds after the change so they can consent to treatment. For others they try to balance the needs of the patients against the need for research. Is it inhuman to attempt a cure on wild acting EVO, one that might die from the procedure or be hurt? It's a tough call. The core issues is the inhumane conditions and threats normal society places on EVOs. If we continue to violate their basic needs then how are we any better than the monsters we claim they are? By following established guidelines and honoring their rights I believe we can work towards a better future. Thank you."

The class was quiet, but then clapped. Many hadn't thought about the treatment of EVOs, but now they were starting to question Providence methods and their own actions. The knowledge that there was a cure was astonishing. Ms. Freedom congratulated them on well put together project and looked forward to reading their papers. Rex and Claire high fived for a job well done.

* * *

It was hard to believe that only two days later a disaster of epic proportions struck. It had started out as a normal day, the sun was shining and the students were happy with their half day. Noah had headed to the basketball court to shoot some hoops. Claire and Annie had a date to get a manicure while Rex and Beverly were heading to Hope to see what his parents were up to. No one thought anything was wrong until the citizens of Haven City started to fall asleep where they stood. In hours the phenomenon spread across the state, the country and then the world. It was an epidemic of massive proportions, for humans that is.

In Abysus Van Kliess, who had tracked the event through his computer, smiled as he realized what a opportunity this was for him. With Providence forces asleep he could finally steal the equipment he needed from their lab for his private project. Since EVOs were immune to the plague he wasn't concerned with them entering the outbreak zone. He summoned the Pack members to the throne room along with his underlings. "As you are aware the planet is facing an epidemic of massive proportions. While I'm hopeful that the plague will run its course eliminating much of Providence forces, its foolish to pin all our hopes on this. There are plenty of scientists out there who could be using painful methods to stay awake finding a cure to this event. To that end we must use what time we have to our advantage. Biowulf; you will be in charge of stealing the equipment we need from Providence labs. Breach will assist you along with some of the underlings. Skalamander; I need you to collect nanite samples from the different EVOs in the area. It's vital that you get as many as you can. Circe, I have a special assignment for you. I need you to steal any data on the cure guns from Hope labs. While your there I want you to procure a sample of Rex's nanites if he's there. If he's not find him and get me that sample. Once you've secured his sample I need you to find Patient Zero and get a sample of his nanites."

"I'm confused sir, why do you want a sample of Rex's nanites? He's human not EVO," Circe replied her brow furrowed. She knew from her spy efforts that Van Kliess knew Rex's past. She had stumbled across a journal when she had bugged the Pack's rooms though she hadn't had enough time to read many pages. What she had read was mention of Rex's antics in the lab area causing disruption to the project. She hoped to find more information out as she explored the rest of the castle including the closed off lower levels.

"My dear, are you questioning me? Your friend Rex has an interesting past with the nanites. I want to be certain of something so that's why I need a sample. Are you going to continue to question my orders or do what you're told?" Van Kliess asked, his needle like tips springing out in a threatening motion. Circe shook her as she went through a portal to downtown with Skalamander.

"I'll meet you back here in two hours with the samples. Don't be late!" Skalamander warned her. She nodded, patting him on the shoulder before he took off in another direction leaving Circe to her own devices. After she was sure he was gone Circe pulled something out of her pocket, an electronic jammer. She turned the dial on full disrupting any devices that might be recording before pulling out her power suit button. Attaching it, she pressed it, letting the suit enfold her. Satisfied she took off running.

"This is Siren contacting Generator. Come in Generator."

"Generator's a little busy right now Siren, but I'm available," Spyder's said. Siren was shocked upon hearing the girl's voice. She started to demand what was going on when she was interrupted. "Hold that thought for a second. I got a pack of one eye ghouls to deal with." The sounds of an intense fight were heard over the com. About five minutes later Spyder came back. "Sorry about that, we've been dealing with the EVOs in town for the past few hours."

"How are you even still awake considering your human?"

"Funny thing, when Generator prevent my transformation he left a few active nanites in my bloodstream. According to sis without them I'll start mutating again. His nanites have made me immune to most EVO threats. Where are you now? We'll meet up with you," Spyder said. The girl flipped open the mini computer attached to her wrist bringing up a holomap. Pinpointing Siren's location she radioed to her nephew to meet her there in ten. Hopping on her moped she ordered it to speed to her fellow Gear's location. She kept an eye out for anything moving knowing dangerous EVOs could pop out of nowhere at any second.

She arrived at Siren's location just a Generator appeared on his Rex Ride. He raced over to hug Siren who pushed him back. Now wasn't the time. "I'm guessing by your appearance that Van Kliess sent you here on a mission. What's up and where are the rest of the Pack?"

"Don't worry their nowhere near here. I managed to inject a subcutaneous tracer in each of them so I can track them at all times. My holocomputer will alert me if they're anywhere close to us," Siren explained showing them. "Biowulf and Breach are in Providence stealing lab equipment while Skalamander was ordered to get nanite samples."

"What's your assignment?" Generator asked.

"I was told to obtain the data on the cure guns while securing samples of Patient Zero's and your nanites. Van Kliess suspects something is off about you, but he's not sure what."

Before Generator could question her further Spyder's computer let out a ping. She started tapping the keys isolating a live stream bringing up a fuzzy image. She worked to clean it up and zoom in. Something in a white suit was marching destructively through the streets firing weapons at any EVO that was in range. Whoever it was, turned firing a mini missile at the camera as something tried to crawl away. The camera exploded terminating the link, but not before they identified who the person was.

"White Knight? I thought he couldn't leave Providence if he wanted to avoid being reinfected with nanites. Dad said he was a germaphobic who doesn't trust anything with nanites."

"That suit is similar to our power suits, probably a battle prototype design. If he's wearing that then he can move around freely. He must be looking for Patient Zero too only he's going to terminate him. Sis warned us against killing Patient Zero because we don't know what will happen if we do. We need to find this EVO and cure him fast," Spyder said pulling out a scanner from her belt. She fiddled around with it until it started a steady beating. "Sis programmed it to lock onto the biometrics of Patient Zero before she lapsed. Let's go!" Siren hopped onto the back of the moped as Generator formed his Boogie Pack. The three friends hurried as fast as they could towards the source of the signal.

Soon they arrived at hospital upon entering it was covered in sickly yellow goo of some sort. Several nurses and doctors seemed to be cocooned in the stuff. Generator went over to the computer talking with it for a few minutes. "Records indicate that a patient was moved into quarantine around the same time the plague started. Apparently he was turning EVO, they were going to call Hope to see if the cure guns would work." The others nodded as they made their way to the quarantine wing. The sensors in their cowls analyzed the goo around them as they tried to make sense of what was going on. Pushing open the doors they found Patient Zero on a table still mutating.

"Can you cure him?" Siren asked.

"I'll try," Generator replied. He placed his hands on the pulsating mass activating his cure abilities. It started to work then stopped. Frowning he tried again only for pieces to cure and not the whole thing. He was puzzled taking a step back to think. He was about to ask the others what they thought when the room exploded sending them crashing into the wall. The power suits screamed as they ran diagnostics isolating damaged sections repairing them at lightning speed. The two EVO's activate their powers as Spyder got out her tonfas. As the smoke cleared they saw White Knight standing there with both arms aimed at them with mini launchers.

"So you're the stupid kids my agents had trouble dealing with? I should have suspected some of you were EVO, you reek of the scent. Let me guess you bleeding hearts are here to try to help Patient Zero and end the plague? There's only one way to that."

"Are you crazy? What happens if you kill him and everyone stays asleep?! We were about to cure him, we just need a little time! Oh, and for the record, I'm human pasty." Spyder went after him, her enhanced speed giving her an edge as she got in close twirling her tonfas, he fired a mini laser at her nearly piercing her chest. Seeing their comrade in pain Siren and Generator fought back. Siren blasted him with her sonic call trying to strip him of the suit. Instead he used his enhance strength to throw one of the hospital's heavy medical equipment at her. Generator fired his Slam Cannon only for White Knight to dodge it and punch him so hard he hit the wall. White Knight moved in to kill the patient only for him to mutate further in fear.

The entire quarantine wing was obliterated as Patient Zero turned into a giant tick like beast shooting laser at everyone. The Gears took cover as White Knight flew up to battle the creature only to be blown out of the sky. He ripped off damaged pieces of his suit preparing to go for round two. Meanwhile the Gears were analyzing some photos Spyder had shot with her digi cam.

"Take a look at this. When you cured pieces of it they were replaced. It's like you never actually touched the patient. That's it! We've been fighting a mutated nanite virus! Patient Zero is still under all that afraid of what's going on. In order to cure him you need to get inside that monstrosity."

Generator groaned at the thought of being eaten again, but nodded. "Can you two keep White Knight busy long enough for me to cure him?" They nodded pulling out their weapons again. Generator took the sky aiming for the EVOs mouth. Siren used her rope dart to wrap around White Knight's wrist jerking it so hard the mini launcher tore off.

"Am I suppose to be afraid of that? I still have other weapons," he retorted firing the laser at her. Her enhanced agility kept her out of harms way as Spyder used an enhanced kick to his side. Flipping back the tip of her foot caught him in the face plate nearly cracking it. She came at it with a chop only for him to grab her throwing her over his shoulder. Siren moved in, her hands in a falcate position striking the armor trying to rip pieces off. He fought back punching at her as she fired a close range blast. He resisted managing to wrap his hand around her mouth and nose trying to suffocate her. "One less EVO in the world to deal with."

"Not on my watch you monster!" Spyder shouted as she jumped on his back. She threw him off balance as he released her friend. He tried to throw her off only to discover she was hooked on tight. Putting her hands on the back of the suit she interfaced with it jacking his system. He managed to get her off him, but it was to late. Pressing a button on her mini computer she took control shutting down his weapons system. The power on the suit waned and the face plate started to crack. A well timed kick from Siren and he was out. Behind them they saw Generator flying down with a cured patient.

"The city should be waking up soon, you need to rendezvous with the other Pack members quickly. Whatever Van Kliess is planning you need to be there to stop it or at least inform us what's going on." Generator willed part of the power suit off, taking a few deep breaths he extracted a few nanites giving them to Siren along with a sample he got from Patient Zero. Spyder handed her a flash drive with some of the bare facts on the guns. Nodding she took off to meet up with the other Pack members. Spyder and Generator reprogrammed White's suit to take him home before disappearing.

* * *

Upon returning to Abysus Van Kliess had ordered everything brought to his private lab before kicking the Pack out with orders not to disturb him. All night they could hear strange sounds of equipment being turned on, machines being moved and other things they couldn't identify. It frustrated Circe greatly because the lab was one of the few places she hadn't been able to bug or set up a camera because it was locked all the time. She was waiting for the big unveil to see what Van Kliess had up his sleeve.

The Pack members had taken up to pacing just outside the lab doors wondering what was happening inside. Biowulf and Scalamander were especially anxious nearly coming to blows. Breach was keeping herself busy by taking care of her doll house while Circe twisted strands of her hair nervously. "What do you think he's doing in there?"

"Whatever it is I'm certain it's for the good of all EVOs. Master is a genius and would never let us down," Skalamander replied.

"Really, because I had a feeling whatever it is going to help him not us."

"Shut your mouth girl. You couldn't possibly understand the inner workings of our master's mind. I question why he even allowed you to be part of the Pack considering..."

"Considering what Biowulf? That I still have feelings for a human? That I haven't been a member as long as you three? I'm a loyal member and have done my duty. I may question Van Kliess sometimes, but only because I want us to succeed. Now are we going to have a problem?" The confrontation was put on hold as the doors to the lab opened. Tentatively the Pack members entered the lab.

Inside the lab was a large reactor that was humming softly as it powered the machines. On the left side of the room was the stolen equipment from Providence. There were several large cylindrical tubes containing different nanites suspended in a biofluidic solution. The tubes were connected to a large clear globe filled with the unstable nanites of Abysus. Attached to the top of the globe was some kind of canister filled with gas. Another tube connected the globe to a series of chambers and medical equipment which seemed to be for diagnostic and health check before they came to a final holding tank with tons of wires and electrodes attached to it. A tube was connected to the tank drawing whatever was placed inside up the side into a large capsule. It was large enough for a person to lie down in with tiny canulla ready to pierce the skin. A monitor was attached to the side. On the right side of the room was a control station blinking waiting for someone to give it commands.

Van Kliess was making some final adjustments to the reactor before turning around to address his troops. "Ah, I'm so glad you could be here to witness the next stage of EVO evolution."

"Master, what is this machine? What is it designed to do?"

"Why evolve my powers of course Biowulf. The reason I've collected dozens of different nanites is to stabilize the ones in Abysus. The biofluidic solution, containing samples from Patient Zero, has kept the nanites active, but made them more malleable so to speak. Once in the mixing chamber the gas, which I derived from reversing the cure guns process, will merge the nanites together stabilizing them. After the nanites are stabilized they'll be processed, checked for any signs of degeneration before a final check to ensure they can be safely placed inside me. The holding tank here is where the real magic happens. I must thank you Circe, this entire process couldn't have happened without you."

"Sir, I'm not understanding you? What did I collect that was so vital to the final holding tank?"

"Why your friend Rex S, I mean, Hayashi's nanites of course. I haven't finished my examination of them quite yet, but they seem to have the ability to turn off and on to some extent. I'm going to turn off some of the powers the nanites have while turning on the powers I want. They'll be injected inside me. By the time the Evolution Machine is finished not only will I have my old powers, but I'll have new ones and be able to leave Abysus to properly lead an attack on Providence. Now, I want each of you to monitor the process. I've run test scenarios, but this is the first attempt at an actual infusion. If this works out well I might evolve your powers further."

The Pack members took their stations to watch the process as Van Kliess climbed into the capsule. The reactor was turned to full power as they started up the process. Circe, bit her lip unable to do anything to stop this from happening. She prayed that it wouldn't work or if it did the machine overloaded.

The lab came to life as the first came to life as they gradually drained the tubes of their biofluidic solution before sending the nanites into the mixing chamber. They kept a close eye on the ratio of gas flow as the unstable nanites bonding to the stabled ones, the virus solution curing them of their instability. They were filtered through the machines as they were triple checked for any problems before being dumped into the tank. They flipped switches, adjusted power flow isolating different nanites turning portions off and on. When they were ready the sent the batch into the capsule where they were injected into Van Kliess's bloodstream. At once his vitals spiked and he started convulsing.

"His body isn't tolerating the new nanites well. The flow of new nanites is higher then the flow removing the old ones. We need to stabilize it now!" Biowulf commanded already typing away. More alarms were going as the reactor started to glow omenlessly

"The reactor's power core is becoming unstable at these high energy levels. If we don't shut down the process the lab could blow!" Skalamander shouted.

"The cycle will be complete in five minutes. We just have to wait don't we?"

"We can't take that chance, I'm shutting this down now and getting him out of there!" Circe slammed her hand on the red button shutting the reactor core down. Flipping a key she turned off the lab equipment before leaping over the counsel. She attempted to pry the lid off, but it wouldn't budge. Standing back, she unleashed a sonic attack breaking it open, as she caught Van Kliess in her arms. Carefully she walked over and put him a gurney. The other Pack members hurried over wondering if there master was okay. "Are you okay sir? Did the process work?"

Van Kliess pushed himself up, twitching his hand. He seemed to be lost in thought. Waving his hand they felt the earth tremble. He snapped his fingers pointing to a small cage containing a squirrel in it. He placed his hand on top of the critter watching in delight as it turned into a tiny EVO. "We may have lost the machine for a time, but the process worked. I can still feel my old powers, but I now have the power to create EVOs at will. As soon as I'm acclimated enough we'll launch a full scale attack on Providence. They won't know what hit them."

At the auxiliary base Noah and Rex were having a spar in the gym. Annie was in the range practicing with her weapon while Claire and Beverly were in the lab trying to unlock the mystery that was the Omega-1 nanite. So far no one had been allowed to talk with Rylander. He was being held in a secure location inside Providence with Meechum apparently being forced to work on a solution to the nanite problem. They had been making slow progress. Beverly knew from her sister that both scientists had requested to send some of their work to an outside lab for testing or at least talk with Hope for solutions, but of course White Knight was playing hard ball. With Holiday busy upstairs with known projects and Six retraining the drop outs from Providence Basic the study of the nanite fell mostly on Claire and occasionally Beverly's shoulders.

Claire gently used a robotic probe to insert dying tissue inside the cube containing the Omega-1. Placing her eyes on top of the microscope she adjusted the magnification. Beverly monitored to computer read out. As they both watched the Omega reacted to the tissue sending out signals causing it to reverse the dying process. She removed the tissue running a few basic tests on it. Straightening up she looked at her friend. "Its remarkable, this nanite is not only designed to form biolication with its host, but have a number of other abilities. If our tests are correct if the host was near death this single nanite could jump start the body keeping them alive until medical intervention."

"I concur. Have you noticed how it seems to speak with the other nanites, giving them orders? It actually seemed to improve upon their design. If Rex injected himself with this not only would his abilities become much stronger, I think he could form new builds. Still, I think we're missing something important, but what?" Beverly asked. Her tablet pinged, indicating an incoming message. She was expecting something from Circe so she opened it up expecting to talk to the girl. All she got was a binary message. She quickly decoded it. She nearly dropped the device upon reading the message. "Everyone come to the lab at once! We got a problem."

Everyone rushed in tripping over one another. "What's going on? What's the emergency?" Rex demanded. Beverly brought up the date on the main screen. They watched as the binary code turned into a fuzzy video feed accompanied by data explaining everything. Understanding that their enemy had powered up left them all disheartened. Rex walked over to get the Omega when Claire jumped in front of him.

"Are you insane? We still don't fully understand that nanite. If you inject yourself there's no telling what could happen! At least wait until you talked to your parents. Maybe they can get Rylander to talk about it."

Rex merely used his Smack Hands to move her aside before ordering the cube to dissolved. Picking up an injector he placed the nanite inside before putting it against his skin. "I made a promise to Rylander I would keep this safe. He also said if I thought it could be stolen or I needed an upgrade I'd inject myself. I could barely keep up with Van Kliess before. Now, that he's stronger I need an edge. I'm willing to take the risks if it helps the rest of the world." Before they could stop him he injected the Omega inside him.

At first nothing happened, then his eyes started to glow and lines appeared all over his body. The entire base was responding to his technopathy. He could hear the nanites talking to him trying to deliver messages. A blue print appeared in his mind and suddenly he manifest a new machine. A large backpack dynamo appeared on his back transforming his right hand to electric tentacle he whipped around. Grabbing a coffee machined he sent a surge of electricity causing it to blow up. The build vanished and he sank to his feet. "What a rush. I think I can create more, do more."

"Yeah, well right now your going to get a full exam to make sure your okay. Then we're going to explain to your parents the dumb risk you took. Hopefully nothing bad will happen because of this." Holiday and Six were a combination thrilled and angry upon hearing about the situation. They scolded Rex for his impulsive behavior telling them this wasn't a laughing matter when he tried to joke his way out of it. Once their anger subsided they were excited about his new powers, promising to help him work on them soon.

* * *

The next day was Friday and Rex was super excited. Friday was usually designated Family Night. They had started having Family Night about a year ago, a time set aside for them just to be in each others company. In the past few months their Family Nights had been disrupted so this one was extra special.

Rex was trying to finish reading the assigned book for English Class while listening to his favorite tunes. He was tapping his feet on the end of the bed. He was actually enjoying the book for a change. He'd been assigned to read Jules Vern's classic, "20,000 Leagues Under the Sea". Rex had always wanted to explore the underwater deep. About two years ago he'd gotten his chance when his family had been asked to investigate nanite activity in the Pacific Garbage Island. A closer look underwater had revealed a world of wonder known as Aqunia. They had made friends with Serge, the ruler of Aqunia. They had promised to keep his world a secret and in turn he agreed to help them search for a cure to the Nanite Event along with the possibility of using the nanites to fix the pollution problems of the world.

Rex was enchanted by the book. He had just reached the part about the epic battle with the giant squid where attacking Captain Nemo when a loud knock to his door caused him to fall off his bead in a heap of tangled. sheets. Extracting himself from the sheets he put his music away while setting the book on the desk. He opened the door to see his dad looking at him strangely. "Is dinner ready?"

"Your mom ordered Chinese. She got extra egg roles for you. We thought we watch a movie while eating them. She thought you might like this one, _Journey 2 Mysterious Island._"

"You mean the sequel to _Journey to the Center of the Earth_? Awesome, I loved that movie!" Rex brushed past his dad jumping the stairs two at a time. The smell of good Chinese food wavered in the air. His mom was getting the movie ready. Rex's eyebrows arched at the sight of Bobo sitting on the couch munching on the takeout. "What's the chimp doing here?"

"Nice to see you to kid. Your parents invited me to your Family Night. Personally, I rather be playing poker or taking the town by storm, but a movie is okay. Fried dumplings anyone?" Bobo asked holding up a container with one of his feet. He took it and settled on the couch next to the chimp. His parents took up seats on the futon as the movie started. The small family enjoyed the movie greatly with Rex excited about the creatures in the movie like the giant bees the cast rode. Bobo said he wouldn't mind finding a volcano that spouted gold instead of lava. Six liked the mannerisms of the stepfather and Holiday found the movie to be enjoyable.

After the movie the family played a round of charades with Rex and Bobo's team winning. The EVO chimp was actually having fun being a part of a family. After a round of ice cream the family was tired. They set up a bed for Bobo on the couch and retired for the night hoping that the next Family Night would be as enjoyable.


	4. Mechanism

The day had started ordinary enough for Circe. It had been about two weeks since Van Kliess's attempt to take over Providence had failed. The group had managed to severely damage the Keep and other vehicles, while partially destroying the headquarters. However his over confidence had cost them the victory when White Knight had launched a counter attack calling in Six for back up. The man in green along with Hope's new field agents had managed to retake the building. Even their attempts to secure the new power core for Abysus had been met with failure, though that was Circe's doing. She had contacted the Gears to be there to protect the core and was surprised when Rex used a new build, the Funchucks, to give Van Kliess a beating. Van Kliess was not happy at all.

To make up for their past failures the Pack members had sparred for hours everyday to improve their skills. Van Kliess had created a whole army of newly super powered EVOs to follow his orders. Everyday he'd have the Pack members work together to bring down one or more of his newly created EVOs. At that moment the Pack was doing that as they battled a giant multi growth crazy EVO that had once been a Providence Agent named Weaver. Van Kliess had capture him during the incident on the Keep and now was using him. He sat on his throne, the tips of his gauntlet tapping the arm rest. "How hard is it for you to defeat one EVO?"

Weaver attacked them with his large tentacles which they dodged. Biowulf and Skalamander struck back with their own attacks slicing off several sections of Weaver's growth only for them to heal at a rapid rate. His colossal size made him difficult for take down as even Breach's portals and Circe's sonic attacks did nothing to slow him down. All four Pack members jumped back as they were nearly stomped on. Weaver attempted to crush Breach only for Circe to push her out of the way. "The only way we're going to beat him is if we get closer to his head. Biowulf, Skalamander draw his attention. Breach portal me up there, I'll use a close range attack to bring him down!"

Biowulf growled bristling at the command, but did as he was told leaping onto the EVOs chest. He dug his claws in ripping and shredding different pieces, leaping about to avoid being thrown off. Skalamander attacked Weaver's base trapping him in several crystal clusters to prevent him from moving. Breach opened a portal which Circe jumped through landing on Weaver's head. She nearly fell off the monster, but held on. Opening her second mouth wide she let loose a powerful attack not giving up even when she felt her powers weakening. Finally Weaver went down as an exhausted Circe started to fall only to be caught by Breach. However the battle had worn her out and she passed out.

Several hours later Circe's eyes fluttered open and she found herself back in her room. Breach was sitting on the edge of her bed as Van Kliess hovered over her. In his hand was her cellphone. He was reading her text messages. Circe stilled, though nothing relating to the Gears was on that phone, she still was worried about him finding something to use against her. His cruel smile let her know he had found something. "Ah, your awake my dear. That's good, I wouldn't want you to be late for your date tonight."

"Date? What are you talking about?"

"Why your little get together with Rex of course. I knew that you still harbored feelings for the boy, especially after your little stunt awhile a back with the rabbit EVO. Normally I'd punish anyone for maintaining friendships with humans, but this case is an exception. Rex is very important to my plans and having you close to him helps me greatly. You'll go on this dinner and movie date earning his trust. Talk to him about your life here, how safe you are. Get him to open up about his parents work. Let it slip that you believe that the answers to his past might be here in Abysus for they are."

"You want me to play with Rex's heart? I don't know if I can do that," Circe whispered only to be shoved against the wall, Van Kliess's gauntlet millimeters from her heart. Bowing her head submissively she agreed to do what he asked of her. He dropped her back on the bed. "Good girl, Breach will be nearby watching you. Don't disappoint me Circe."

That night Rex was waiting for Circe outside the Snack Shack. He was anxious checking his phone for text messages. He knew that it was dangerous for Circe to leave Abysus, but he desperately wanted to see her again. According to her recent texts she had managed to get some time off to come back to the city for a date. He was just about to call her when he sensed something. Running behind the restaurant he saw a red portal open up. Circe and Breach stepped out, the former looking anxious and the later with a crazed smile. "Hey, its great to see you again. Hi Breach, are you here to make sure Circe got here okay? I'd invite you along, but three's a crowd you know?"

"Your favorite shiny is funny Circe. I wouldn't dream of interrupting your date. I'll be back for her in three hours. Make sure to pick me up something. You owe me. Bye favorite!" Breach giggled stepping back through the portal. It closed, but Rex still sensed Breach's presence. Glancing around he wondered how small of a portal she could make and what she could see out of them. Ignoring the shivers up his spine he finally noticed how sad Circe looked. "What's wrong? Are you okay?"

"I'm just a bit tired is all. Van Kliess had us fighting other EVOs to sharpen our skills for hours. He cares a lot about us, wanting only the strong to survive. Abysus has become a much safer place recently. Since Van Kliess has gotten a lot stronger our defenses have strengthened keeping intruders out."

"That would come in handy against Providence. From what I've seen they're getting reckless in their attempts to deal with the supposed EVO threat. Let's forget all about the world conspiracies and focus on us tonight okay? I thought we could grab a bite to eat then go to a movie. I tried to pick a musical one because you said you love musicals right?" Rex said scratching the back of his head. Circe nodded in agreement wrapping her arms around his as they went inside to eat.

The two enjoyed their burgers laughing as Circe tried to shove her fries into Rex's mouth. Rex told her about school, a prank war he lost to Noah, and how his parents were on their own date that night. Circe told him a bit more about her past. How she had been in a choir when she was younger, that she loved riding her bike all around her neighborhood or the first time she dyed her hair only for it to end up carrot orange. After that they headed to the movie theater.

Breach watched them, feeling a pang of loneliness as she observed the couple. Her own memories of her life previous to her mutation were fragmented. She couldn't be sure if her slight mental instability was because of her mutation or that she already had it. Right now she had difficulty understanding the world around her having no one to keep her mentally grounded. As she watched Circe get a box of popcorn with Rex she wished she someone special to her friend as she wondered if she and Circe were really friends or if she imagined it.

After the movie Rex escorted Circe back to her pick up spot. He frowned knowing something was bothering her, but she seemed to afraid to tell him what was going on. Knowing it was still dangerous to talk about her mission openly he took her hands in his holding them tightly. "I had a great time tonight Circe. I love seeing you. I know that you have a life in Abysus and that Van Kliess is important to you, but I don't want you to forget me. Maybe, I should come see you in Abysus sometime, see what's it's all about."

Circe's eyes widened in fear as she trembled. "Rex that's a bad i..." she was interrupted by Breach appearing out of nowhere startling her. "Breach! You scared me!"

She giggled smirking at her. "The time is over for your romantic fling. Time to come home and sing."

"Wait, before you two go I got you something Breach like you asked. I felt bad that we didn't get a chance to hang out so I picked this up at the arcade near the movie theater from the crane machine. Circe mentioned you like dolls so here," Rex said, holding out a small cloth covered doll that sort of resembled her. Touched by his actions, Breach cradled the toy in her smaller arms wiping a tear from her face. She whispered a thank you as the girls returned home.

* * *

A few nights later Rex was in a deep sleep. He was having a nightmare dreaming he was being targeted by a group of strangers. He clenched his hands tightly tossing and turning moaning in his sleep. "No, stop leave me alone. Please, I'm not a threat I don't want to fight! Dad, where are you?"

_Rex was in an alley way running for his life. His EVO powers weren't working at all. He hit a dead end, fearfully he turned around and saw the strangers eying him with darkness in their eyes. One was a tall older gentlemen holding a bladed cane towards him. Standing on his right was a large man with red hair smacking his gauntlets together. On his left was slender fellow whipping bandages around, cracking the air showing how sharp they were. To the side was a punk rocker woman with a guitar in her hands. "Who are you people? What do you want with me?"_

_ "To test your skills child, though from what I see your nothing, but pathetic. _Un débil niño mirando al igual que usted no va con nosotros_," the Spaniard remarked._

_ "Oh boy I don't know about that hey. He might put up an interesting fight though he wouldn't survive in the bayou for long no?" the heavy-set man said._

_ "Do you honestly ever think before you speak? I can't believe I have to deal with your stupidity on this mission," the lady spoke up shaking her head in disbelief._

_ "Can we just get on with it? We have a tight schedule to keep," the slender man reminded them. The four strangers nodded and started to attack all at once._

_ Rex was on the defense ducking under the bladed edge of the cane before going into a full back bend up and over to avoid the chain. He tried to center himself as he felt the bandages wrapped around his wrists. He let himself be pulled before digging down deep twisting to the side wrenching free. He clenched his ears as the sound of loud rock music threatened to blow his ear drums. Focusing all his power he did a spin kick missing his target. He felt someone grab him and start squeezing. He tilted his head back forcefully trying to break his captive's nose, but that didn't work out so well. He continued to squirm kicking with all his might. Once again he tried to call on his powers, but nothing was happening._

"Patético, la vergüenza como estudiante a Seis. Su indigna de ser entrenados por él._" the old man said bringing his cane up to Rex's throat. He was prepared to end his life when the boy started to glow. With an inhuman strength he broke free tossing the Cajun into the man. In the melee that followed he fought hard against his foes. He managed to land a few punches and even bruise the woman's face only to be pinned down to the ground by the slender man._

_ "Let me go! I don't know what you have against my Dad, but I promise you he'll make you pay for hurting me!" Rex roared. He suddenly felt sleepy as noxious gas was blasted into his face. His eyes felt heavy, his nanites tried to counter it keeping him alive. He was in danger, he need to stay awake. They were going to kill him._

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

"Rex, wake up. You're having a nightmare, wake up now!" a voice said followed by a slap to the face. Rex shot up straight bonking his head on the metal overhang. He was sweating profusely and scared out of his wits. He almost didn't recognize his Dad's strong arms holding him. Six was trying to calm him down, but Rex wasn't having it. He was absolutely terrified.

"Would you get the boy under control already Six? Honestly, I'm starting to really question your judgement!" The sound of the man who attacked him sent Rex into another panic. He turned seeing his attackers giving him strange looks. He lost control, his arms morphing into the Funchucks. Catching the group off guard he managed to whack them all pretty hard in the face. Rex fell off the metal bench backing away keeping on the defensive.

"Rex, calm down right now or so help me I'll use my blades on you!" Six warned him, holding out his katanas. Rex was scared and in disbelief. His dad was threatening him! Six folded up his blades then removed his sunglasses. He took a cautious step forward. "Please Rex, I promise to explain everything. I need you take a deep breath and relax. Retract your build before you destroy the jet by accident. Your mom will have a fit if she finds out I wrecked the jump jet." Taking a few deep breaths Rex did as he was asked taking Six's hand as he was guided back to his seat.

"Oi at least we know why you got out of the game and it wasn't just for some Cherie no? You have your own little weapon!"

"Honestly Trey, can't you see the kid isn't a weapon?"

"No, worse he's an EVO. We should get rid of him right now. He could ruin everything."

"Six, you better have a good explanation. When you told us you had a cure for One's sickness I assumed your little woman's cure guns would be used. Instead, you bring this boy and expected us to trust him, in spite of his sickness. He's a weak and a timid child."

Six's eyes narrowed as he stood protectively in front of his son. When he spoke his voice was ice cold. "My son isn't sick Dos and he's the real cure. Now shut up right now or I'll make you pay for insulting him." Six looked at each of them in turn daring them to contradict him, but the group was silent. Putting his sunglasses back on he turned to his son sitting down next to him. "I'm sorry to drag you out of bed on a school night, but this is important. Do you remember what I told you about my family two years ago before I left you and your mom in London for nearly two months?"

Rex nodded his head. "You told me you grew up with foster siblings being trained by the deadliest man on the planet. That he taught your group everything he knew. You mentioned you hadn't seen them or your father in awhile because he was sick and you were... _Oh, Dios mío, son sus hermanos? Mi tía y tíos?" _ The others stiffened at his words, but didn't bother to correct him. In a weird way he was right.

"This is Dos, Trey, IV, and Five. We're taking you to your grandfather One. He needs your help Rex. Do you recall why I was thinking about joining Providence? It was to find a cure to help him because he was one of the first EVOs. Before you say anything; yes we've known about your cure abilities for awhile, however you hadn't developed them to the point I thought you could succeed with curing him. Preliminary testing indicates he might be incurable, but after your success with your aunt I wanted to give you a chance. At the very least if you can't cure him maybe you can at least help him maintain his sanity."

"That's your big plan Six? Trust a teen hoping he can do something for One and if he doesn't let our mentor continue to exist in his hellish state? He wouldn't want that and you know it!" Dos snapped.

"Calm down Dos, I say we give the kid a chance love. He's obviously got some skill after spending nearly six years with our brother. He even managed to catch us off guard," Five pointed out. She distinctively heard IV muttered under his breath about Rex cheating, but chose to ignore it. Trey looked like he wanted to say something, but she hit him with her guitar causing him to shut up for the time being. The remainder of the flight was spent in silence no one saying anything. Rex was terrified he might not be able to help his "grandfather". He knew how important One was to his Dad. He worried greatly what would happen to him and his dad if he was unable to cure him.

It took another hour before they reached a barren island with an active volcano. On the way The Six had explained the precautions their father had taken to avoid harming anyone. He had ordered them to bring him to this barren rock before chaining him up in a room suspended over the lava. If One didn't enter a code everyone forty-one minutes it would drop, ( Rex wondered how the man ever slept, but decided against asking). They started the hike through the lava tubes heading for the heart of the volcano.

While the others had an easier time getting through the obsidian tunnels Rex was falling behind. He was still tired from the gas, without his power suit and his nanites were sluggish not responding to his commands. "What did you put into that gas? My nanites can normally get rid of anything that could harm me in a matter of minutes, but I'm having trouble ahhhh!" He started fall only for IV to whip out a bandage pulling him up. "Thanks."

"Really don't mention it. If you can't keep up maybe we shouldn't have brought you, cure or no cure."

"What's the matter kid? Can't fight without your powers? That is tough no?"

"Trey, IV enough! You better not make me regret this Six. I'm starting to wonder if you've forgotten how to fight after settling down. One would be..."

Two swords clashed with one another as the glare off began. The tension in the air was high. The siblings looked ready to fight each other to the death when Rex used his BFS to separate all of them. He was pissed off and let them know it. "You are siblings, family. Do you know how lucky you all are to have one another? To share memories of growing up and being taught by a mentor? I don't have any of that because my memory is fried. All I know is that for nearly six years now Six has cared for me, teaching me. I would have been captured and experimented on or worse, turned into a weapon by Providence if he hadn't taught me inner focus techniques from grandfather's lessons. I know you don't think much of me and are disappointed in my dad's decision to leave the mercenary game, but for the duration of _this_ mission can't you put your grudges aside and work together?"

The five mercenaries were shocked that the teen was lecturing them on the values of being a family. Sure, One had raised them like siblings, but it had been so long since they really acted like that. Not since their last mission all together before One turned. Now they barely could tolerate one another. The five of them looked at one another before giving a slight nod to each other. Seeing that they were going to get along Rex undid his BFS build and constructed his Rex Ride. "Hurry up, you said you wanted to help your father sooner than later."

"I take back what I said about your kid being weak Six. He's got guts standing up to us." Six simply nodded as they made their way further into the tunnel. They were just about to reach the final ridge to the heart of the volcano when they heard the sounds of fight and something burning. With his heart pounding Six jumped over the crest of rocks katanas at the ready. Behind him the others had their weapons ready too.

Rex was fighting against One trying to hold his own. Behind them the room and the bridge had collapsed spilling magma on the ground nearly burning the teen. The EVO hissed, but didn't react much as he stepped into the hot molten magma. He even raked his claws through it hurling it at Rex who was using his Smack Hands to shield himself. One bit down tearing the build off so Rex morphed his Punk Busters trying to kick him away. One dodged the kick ramming the teen so hard he took a tumble down the sharp hill. Letting loose a roar One went after the kid only to be blocked by Six.

"One, please stop! You're not a monster, your human! Try to remember!" Six shouted. His katanas clashed with claw. He pushed back trying not to harm his father, but One continued to attack him. The deadliest man on the Earth used his unbelievable strength to tear apart the obsidian wall hurling it at Six only to have it blasted apart by a laser beam though the rest had to dodge the refracted beam.

Dos jumped off Six's shoulders firing his laser aiming for One's vulnerable spots. The lasers burned holes in One's skin. Dos removed his sword intending to behead his beloved father, but One anticipated the attack. He used his massive head to knock Dos out of the air.

Trey and IV came after him next. IV wrapped his bandages around One's back legs trying to rip them out of the sockets. One roared out trying to free himself by using his front claws to slash the bandages. Trey smacked his fists against one only to be gorged at with his horns. Five joined in by unleashing a seismic quake by hitting the ground causing the tunnels to start collapsing on them. Lifting up her guitar she held it like a bat slamming it into her mentor. Dos and Six, both recovered came after him again.

One let out a primal roar twisting, slashing, biting and generally attacking. His student's were shocked as One's intelligence seem to come flooding back. He managed to hurl all five of them off his body. Picking up the severed bandages he whipped them around cutting into his student's skin. Tying them into a lasso he flung it around IV pulling tight. The fourth deadliest man struggled trying to manipulate the bandages only to find out he couldn't. He was yanked about then suspended from the ceiling of the cave.

Whipping around he started running down the slope aiming for the exit. Trey got IV down as Five and Dos attacked long range. One dodged flipping up into the air nearly landing on them. His hearing heard Trey's attack catching his metal fist. He crushed them, kneeing the portly man, before rolling him out the tunnels like a bowling ball. He reached the exit heading for coast.

"We can't let him escape! Time for the finale love!" Five shouted striking a power cord that rippled across the island. She kept the attack going as she raced down the slope. She got ready to flip her guitar to bludgeon One only for him to hold still before pouncing on top of her. He gnawed her weapon in half spitting the pieces into her face slamming her into the ground repeatedly causing a wound to form on her head. Once she was disabled he turned his sights on Six and Dos who were coming after him.

Dodging Dos laser fire he started he jumped into the air spinning sideways building up speed before plowing into his student. Dos tried to land a hit, but One was to strong nearly crushing him in half. After kicking him hard he went after Six who was on the defense matching claw strikes. Six tried to land an attack to disable, but One was to smart. He bowled Six over causing the blades to go flying. Six tried using his hand to hand combat skills, but they were useless against the thick skin. He stumbled falling back as One came in for the kill.

"NOOOOOOOOO!" Rex came out of nowhere with a new build the Bad Axes. He used their super sharp blades to cut off One's claws. The teen kept pace with One as they danced around each other. Rex swinging his arms cutting up the ground and tearing into One's flesh. The deadliest man found himself being bushed back using up his energy quickly. He fell off a small hanging onto the ground. The teen demorphed his hands jumping on top of him activating his cure abilities. By now the rest of The Six had gathered watching the kid in amazement.

Both Rex and One were screaming as blue lines appeared on both. "He's incurable, no I can't, I _won't _give up!" Rex grunted trying so hard to force the cure. One started to shrink, his skin changing. Six was hopeful that it would work until he noticed blood pouring out Rex's ears and eyes. His son was starting to convolse his own skin started to shred.

"If your son keeps this up we'll get One back, but at the cost of Rex's life," Dos warned Six. He felt rather then saw Six jump and race towards Rex. He tried pulling Rex off One, but they were locked together. A burst of blue energy flung him back. Five went to check on Six as IV and Trey tried to pull them apart only to be blocked by the blue energy field. By now One was halfway back to human and Rex was near death.

"Rex stop please! If you keep this up you'll die! I can't lose you son please stop!" Six begged, his eyes wide and expression of horror on his face. He tried to stand up only to sink back down. His ankle was swelling preventing him from getting up. He could only watch as his son died in front of him as his siblings joined him.

All of sudden the screaming stopped, One's body glowed, stopping the transformation, as Rex's eyes filled with light. As if in a trance he turned looking at the group smiling sadly. When he spoke it wasn't Rex's voice, but One's. "_My children, my dear deadly five it is good to see you again."_

"One? Is that you?"

_"Yes Six, it is. I'm using my willpower to possess your son so I may say my farewells to each of you. I don't know how much time I have, but I hope it is enough to say goodbye. I am so proud of you my five. You have each demonstrated great skill and power. Together we've accomplished much, but it was never my wish that we'd always be mercenaries for hire. I showed you how to be dangerous so you would understand the responsiblity that comes with being the best. It was always my hope that one day all of you would use your skills to teach others to protect themselves, to be heroes so to speak."_

Rex/One looked at Dos first tears of joy in his eyes. _"Dos, Dario you have always been my best student from the time you were young. In my absence you have been a great leader. I can trust our family's safety with you. I know you are without mercy, but in the future you need to show it. I know you have been afraid to grant mercy because of your childhood, but it isn't a weakness. My hope is you will pass your skills onto someone who needs a merciful new beginning."_

"_Si_, I promise to try."

With a tilt of the head he looked at the next number. _"Trey, Tanguy I have always found your humor to be a bit dry and your cooking amazing. I am glad that you enjoy your work, but don't forget to set an example for others. You could be a great mentor if you stopped antagonizing everyone on purpose. Promise me you'll ease up a bit?" _

"Don't worry about this Cajun. He'll behave from now on."

Nodding his head he looked at IV shaking his head slightly. _"You've always been a bit to paranoid haven't you IV, Ilom? I know you have a hard time letting the past go, but if you are to have a future you need to. Your siblings never meant for you to get hurt. In this family you need to forgive others. My greatest wish is you will do that and find someone to train."_

"It will be tough, but I'll give it a go."

A genuine smile appeared on Rex/One's face as he looked at his only daughter. _"My wild child Five, Faren. You were the most difficult to teach, but in the end you've proven yourself in a dangerous world. I will miss your music greatly. I hope that one day you know what its like to raise a rebellious daughter."_

"I'll see if I can find one to teach love."

Lastly Rex/One looked at Six with pride on his face. _"Six, Shiro, I am so proud of you for forging your own path. When you visited two years ago I wasn't able to convey how happy I was that you had found a family of your own to love. It takes a strong heart to give up this life for one of peace. Protect your family with all your heart my son." _

"I will, Father."

_"My time is up. I'm glad to have had this time with you all. My final order for all of you is to be a family again and protect my grandson. His abilities will help save the world from this plague. For his willingness to give his life for mine; I leave behind in him all my skills and willpower. I love you all." _ A golden aura surrounded One's body entering into Rex's body through his heart. The teen let out a gasp as he fell to the ground. One's body withered before transforming the island into a lush paradise.

The siblings made their way over to Rex, Five helping Six walk. Kneeling down he cradled his son in his arms. Rex's shirt had been torn in the fight exposing his chest. They all saw the glowing one tattoo over his heart marking him as the new one. Looking at one another they nodded their heads, they would keep their promise to their father. They would not only be a family, they would find others to train. Most importantly they would protect Rex in his mission to save the world.

* * *

Of course there was trouble when they got back home. Holiday was furious with Six for taking off in the middle of the night without telling her and more importantly, endangering the life of their son. As punishment she kicked him out of their bedroom telling him he would be sleeping on the couch for a week. Six complied knowing his punishment could have been a lot worse. At least sleeping on the couch gave him some minor support for his sprained ankle. It still amazed him that he managed to actually injure himself in such a way. He'd be wearing a brace for a few days to help it heal while icing it a lot.

Three days into his punishment Six was at Hope working with the recruits. It had taken awhile to get the funding and enough bodies, yet Hope's field agents were almost to par with Providence. Many of the recruits were people who couldn't hack Providence Basic, but still wanted to help out. Six had been in charge of training them. He was a difficult teacher expecting nothing less than their bests. He was more patient though then the Basic teachers, something he developed after working with Rex.

He was watching the recruits from an observation deck completing a obsticale course. Beside him Bobo was operating the control panel laughing as he changed the course and making it more difficult. "This is a lot of fun green bean. Way better than just watching some screens for a few hours."

"Try to remember not to kill anyone. We need these field agents if were to handle crises Providence deems unworthy of attention," Six reminded him. He felt a chirp in his ear. Pressing his comlink he said, "Yes? What is it?"

"I'm still mad at you, but I there's something in the lab I want to show you. Can you leave the recruits in Bobo's hands for a half hour?"

"Affirmative, I'll be there in five. I need to go to lab, keep them training for twenty minutes then send them to the showers. If I find out you did anything to interfere with their training then you'll be sorry understand?" Bobo nodded his head waving him off. Straightening his tie Six headed to the main research lab. The doors swished open as he made his towards his wife. He found her in the back looking at blood samples. Claire was working with her making notes as she observed two mice in separate cages. "You wanted to see me?"

"Surprisingly yes, I did." Holiday didn't bother to turn around instead tapping a few keys and bringing up a split screen showing two different sets of blood samples. "I've done some important research into the nanites capabilities after you told me what happened between Rex and his grandfather." The pointed look she gave him made him wonder if she'd ever forgive him. "As I was saying, you said that One willed his skills and power into Rex after possessing him correct?"

Six nodded his head. "That's what he said, but I still am at a loss on how he possessed Rex or gave him his skills. Rex is still recovering from the incident, but I've noticed slight changes in him. His awareness level has gone up and I've noticed him unconsciously looking at me trying to figure the best way to disable me."

Holiday pursed her lips upon hearing that. Knowing her son had somehow inherited the skills and powers of the most dangerous man on the planet made her extremely nervous. "I've been researching the way nanites interact with a host DNA and how they transmit in hopes of understanding what happened. We've always thought that the nanites as a whole were the same; unprogrammed nanotechnology that all spoke the same language, but that may not be the case. According to these blood samples while it appears that the nanites in the two mice are the same a closer examination reveals that the bonding process is slightly different in both."

Claire looked up from her work. She had played with one mouse making it chase after food on a string performing tricks. She made sure the other mouse was unable to see what she was doing. Placing the mouse back in its cage she got the other one out and repeated the experiment getting the same results. "After discovering that the bonding process was different, we hypothesised that the bonding process was unique to each individual just as DNA is. These mice are identical twins, though they share the same DNA different segments are bonded to the nanites. It appears that the nanites were designed to align with each host's unique structure. What's really interesting is what happens when two different sets of nanites start transmitting to one another."

"Claire's right, normally the nanites aren't actively transmitting. I haven't isolated the cause yet, but sometimes nanites talk with one another sharing data with one another. They are literally teaching each other about their hosts. These mice are able to learn from one another without actually physically interacting. Its is if the nanites are sharing information about their hosts with one another, helping them adapt to new situations."

"Interesting, so when One was dying he had his nanites copy his information into Rex's as if he was downloading instructions into him. How would someone retrieve the information?"

"That's a good question, from early testing Claire and I have determined the knowledge is there, the host has to actively retrieve it. For the most part it lies dormant, but the more it's used the more it becomes integrated into the host's nanites until it becomes permanent. That does cause some problems."

Claire pointed to mouse A. "This one is smaller than the other one. He can fit into smaller holes and do tricks. When mouse B tries to do the same things because of the shared knowledge he sometimes has a seizure. We're not sure if this is the same in all hosts or if the effects differ in humans. Still think of the possibilities if we could learn to control this function. People with brain disorders could learn from normal brains how to act. Damaged environments could be reconstructed. The possibilities are endless."

"True, but at the moment we're not certain what the consequences could be actively trying to teach nanites skills from different sets. We need to take this slow. I'm going to be monitoring Rex closely for awhile. Hopefully the effects of the transfer won't harm him. If he does start tapping into that knowledge can I count on you to guide him?"

"Always, I promise you that nothing bad will happen to him because of One's gift." Holiday nodded before getting back to work with Claire. Six headed back to check on the recruits. Both parents were curious and afraid of what was going on internally with their son.

* * *

At the moment Rex was just having fun with Noah trying to beat him at basketball. The Hispanic teen had always enjoyed watching basketball. While he was much better at volleyball or soccer, he was determined to one day beat Noah at this game. Noah said that the chances of him ever winning against him were astronomical.

"Can you get it, can you get it? No, I'm to fast no way your going to beat me," Noah teased, his back to the other boy. Noah dribbled the ball holding out his other hand to block his friend from stealing the ball. He pivoted on his right foot faking a move to the left before twisting around shooting a three pointer sinking the basket. "Yes! I'm on fire today! I'm the king of the court."

"Don't be a braggart, I don't tell you how much you suck at volleyball do I?" Rex made his way over to the bench to grab his water bottle. He was still a little shaky on his feet after nearly dying, but he was getting better. "Okay Nixon, let's play a HORSE. I think I can keep up with you if I don't have to move so much."

"Oh yeah like you can copy my moves." Noah took the ball out to the center court. Dribbling it a few times he ran in a zigzag pattern stopping a few feet from the net, lobbing the ball over his shoulder to sail through the rim effortlessly. "Let's see you copy that one."

Rex did his best to copy his friend. He managed to avoid bouncing the ball off his foot, but when he lobbed it the ball went out of the court ending up in a trashcan. Rex felt his face flush in embarrassment. "Stupid ball."

Noah hesitantly retrieved the stinky ball from the garbage before declaring the game over from the rancid smell. They decided to head to the arcade instead to play some games. As they walked through the city Noah noticed his friend was very quiet and hanging in his head slightly. He wasn't even cracking jokes like he normally did. "You okay buddy? You seem down in the dumps."

The other boy smiled at him reassuring him he was okay. Noah didn't want to push Rex if he was uncomfortable talking about something. They reached the arcade where, in an almost a trance state, Rex made a beeline for the first person shooter game "Hero's Duty". That surprised Noah, his friend normally would have gone for the game consuls for Pac Man or Street Fighter. Shrugging it off he put in the quarters for the machine grabbing his gun. "Bet, I can score more points than you."

"I think I'm going to surprise you Noah." The game started up as the two of them found themselves in the midst of the battle field with soldiers. They were battling against an army of Cybugs to reach the tower earning a metal. Noah was blasting away as he tried to prevent the Cybugs from hatching out of their eggs. He was racking up points avoiding major damage. He was just about to earn huge bonus points by taking out a Cybug laying eggs when his target exploded in front of him. "Hey, that was my target."

"You snooze you lose. Stay out of my crosshairs if you know what's good for you," Rex joked lightly, but for some reason his eyes appeared to be darker. He was watching the screen with great intensity. He lined up his crosshairs building up power in the gun before letting loose. The game rang out in death calls as he managed to take out scores of Cybugs. With the accuracy of a sniper Rex managed to wipe out all the Cybugs at the base of the tower.

The two friends came characters made their way through the tower encountering more dangerous versions of the Cybugs. They found a medkit restoring Noah's health partially. They had just reached the lab when the eggs hatched. Their game avatars were quickly overwhelmed killing Noah in seconds. The blond thought it would be all over for his friend only to be shocked as Rex's avatar managed to slaughter the hoard with little trouble. He seemed to dance around just out of the reach of the enemy. He even used some unconventional shots that took out several of the groups. Aiming for some pipes Rex's avatar blew it up causing hot steam to fry most of the hoard before finally shooting the last of the Cybugs. He smiled as his character earned the metal and got high score. Signing his name he gave his best friend a wide grin. "Looks like I win this one."

"Dude, that was awesome. When did you get so good at video games?" Rex shrugged not sure how to explain it. His dad had told him about what happened on the island. Since receiving One's gift he felt the same only more confident and stronger. In his mind it felt like something was bubbling inside ready to burst with knowledge. His own willpower was a lot stronger as he didn't have to worry about accidentally exposing himself. Noah didn't know any of this, just assuming Rex had been playing games at home. "Come on let's play some more games. I know I can beat you at something." The boys continued to play games for the rest of the afternoon, Rex winning more often than losing. As the boys headed home Rex wondered what other changes he could expect in the coming days.

* * *

A week later the Gears were in the garage at their hidden HQ working on their rides. Six was out with some of Hope's field agents after White Knight called for help with a starfish EVO. In unprecedented move White was actually allowing Holiday to meet with Rylander and Meechum to go over her new findings and collaborate their knowledge. It was a given that Dr. Fell probably wasn't happy about that.

Noah was tinkering with his hybrid's engine wiping a smudge of oil off his face. He was trying to improve the speed of his ride. Next to him he saw Claire installing hover devices into the wheel wells of her cycle. Rex was helping Annie out with her scooter by installing a new mechanism designed to adapt the ride for different situations. Beverly was sitting on her moped going over schematics on her tablet. "Hmm, with these new upgrades in our rides our mission success rate should go up by twenty percent. I've been working on a new defense system to install on the rides, but it will take a bit more time to figure out how to make it compact."

"Until then the weapons aren't that bad. I know my side lasers make my ride a lot more fun. Rex, do you think you could help me with the brakes? I think they might be a little worn."

"Sure, just take ugh!" They all looked up as Rex clutched his stomach. In the next instant strange parts start to grow out of him before falling to the ground. He was struggling to breathe as another part started to grow out of his chest. Claire grabbed her medkit searching for her emergency oxygen to use. Noah was trying to hold the flailing boy down. Beverly connected with Hope's sensors doing a sweep. "There's some kind, of what I can only describe, as a subspace signal being broadcasted. Oh my the receiver is the Omega nanite! Someone's trying to locate it!"

"Yeah, and in the process kill Rex! Annie, you need to activate the electronic jammer! See if it will block the signal!" Claire ordered her friend.

"On it! Programming jammer for full EM spectrum. Activating now!" Annie tossed a cube into the air. It levitated as it sent out a pulse covering the entire base in an invisible protective field. At once the signal was blocked leaving Rex breathless on the floor. His color was slowly returning as the oxygen was fed into his lungs. "That was to close." Annie went over to the com unit on the wall. "Bobo, we need you to do a full sensor sweep in a five-mile radius. Tell us if you spot anything unusual."

"Ah, I was playing online poker."

"NOW! Someone trying to find the Omega nearly killed Rex!"

"The kid nearly died?! Hold on, one sensor sweep coming up. Got something, an unidentified ship of some kind is making its way towards the base. I'll contact the green bean to get his butt back here. If someone tries to invade us they'll have to deal with the Haha security system!"

"You won't be able to contact Six or Holiday while the jammer is operational. Hold on a sec," Annie said. She turned to her friends as everyone activated their powers suits. "We need a plan, we promised to protect the Omega from being stolen. Whomever is looking for it, we can't wait to find out if there friend or foe. Is there someway to prevent them from homing onto the nanite or tricking them?"

"I can try to spoof the signal onto some homing devices. If we scatter in different directions our foe will have to chase after each of us to find the nanite. I just need a few minutes to copy the signal and program it in," Spyder said. Just then the base was rocked by something. Their suits went haywire as the jammer was destroyed by a feedback signal. The power suits had limited shielding from high intensity EM pulses. "What was that?!"

"We've got an intruder in the base! He's knocking out the scientists and making his way through my traps. I'm trying to slow him down, but..."

"Bobo? Bobo! We lost him, Spyder you better spoof that signal now!" App shouted. The tech was already on it handing them the false ones as they mounted their rides. Revering their engines they motored out of the secret garage exit as part of the plant's spill way opened up. Their rides jumped into the air as they made their way into the city. Their vehicles computers registered a ship tracking them. "We need to split up and lead it away from the city. No telling what kind of damage that ship can cause."

"Agreed, whoever the enemy targets do your best to slow them down. The rest of us will try to disable the ship and capture our intruder. Spyder, contact my parents. Tell them we need help, I'll even take Providence at this point. We can't let the Omega be taken." The girl nodded breaking off from the pack heading in the direction of Six's location. The others split at a crossroads heading in different direction. The strange ship hovered for a few minutes before going after Wingman's car.

"So you want to play hardball huh? We'll lets just see how fast you really are," Wingman whispered. His interface glowed as he punched it. The car becoming a red blur as he zoomed down the streets, the interface prevented him from clipping into anyone. In his review mirror he saw the strange ship keeping pace with him. Suddenly the strange ship fired a strange beam at him halting his vehicle in his tracks pulling him backwards. "No way, that thing has a tractor beam? Not cool."

The ship continued to pull they hybrid towards us. The beam was so strong it was sucking other vehicles towards the ship with innocent passengers screaming in terror. Wingman flipped a switch activating his rear weapons system. Out of the trunk a mini launch system appeared. Using his computer he targeted the front part of the ship, locking on he fired. Out of the cannon shot a small gray cylinder that attached itself to ship. Five seconds later it blew, cutting out the beam. Once more free he started zooming around.

The ship, more like a pod actually, recovered rather quickly responding by firing bursts of electricity at him. Wingman was forced to twist the wheel rather hard to the right then left to avoid being struck. "This dude is crazy. Does he realize the damage he's causing? This is Wingman calling for back up! I can't shake this boogie!"

"Hang on I'm coming, take a right down the straightaway now!" App shouted as her cycle jumped a wall. Pressing her button she engaged her new hover system. Her wheels retracted as the hover beams activated. The cycle shook unsteadily, but she held on. Steadying her ride she flew in front of the pod turning on her beacon full force. The pod turned around coming after her leaving her boyfriend alone. She flew through the air squeezing through the spaces between buildings trying to slow the pod down only for it to reconfigure its shape making it smaller so it could fit.

Her interface warned her when an incoming projectile was aimed at her. She twisted the throttle going into a dive as net launcher sailed past her. More nets were launched causing panic below as they trapped running civilians. She turned back towards the pod, her cowl sensors analyzing the pod in great detail searching for a weakness. "Scanning: pod composition, weapon system, engine, shielding, where is this thing's weakness? Ahhhhh!" App's cycle was blown out of the sky as the pod fired an EM pulse at her causing her systems to crash. She was spinning out of control hurling to the ground. She tried to regain control aiming for a vacant lot hoping to avoid hitting someone. The cycle didn't respond forcing her to jump out as it skidded across the earth before slamming into a wall and bursting into flames. "Dang it! I just installed the hover feature!"

Chaos saw the whole thing unfold, her blood boiling at the thought of her friend nearly dying because of this guy. She reached into her back of tricks pulling out a small holosphere. She tossed it into the air creating a flock of flying EVOs that started to "attack" the ship. She hoped that it would fool the sensors as she maneuvered her vehicle up a ramp firing a grappling line. It bounced off some flag poles, the side of a building before piercing the landing gear of the pod. Her scooter was being pulled towards the pod when it bulked. The line snapped as she was pitched forward.

Chaos flailed reaching out for something to hold onto, her hand becoming tangled in the line. Twisting about in midair she tried to free herself. After several tense minutes she managed to do so climbing up the rope. She pulled herself up onto the landing gear. Taking a few deep breaths she removed her tool kit. "Okay, let's see if I can get into this pod." She removed a panel with a mini welding torch. She saw a bunch of wires. She removed some cutters planning to snip them when the landing gear started to retract. She held on for dear life as they gears pulled up a bit. Losing her grip she fell towards the earth.

"I got you!" Generator shouted catching her in mid-air as he flew. He flew low depositing her on a roof top. Zooming towards the pod he got in close before switching to his Punk Busters giving it a hard kick. The pod reeled in the air towards the desert bits of it flying through the air. The pod tried to adjust itself, but Generator had enough using his Smack Hands as he fell to punch it into the ground before resuming his Boogie Pack. He landed on the ground forming his Blast Caster ripping the pod open. "Alright mystery dude come on out. You have some explaining to do ahhhhhhhh!" His build broke apart as he clutched his head.

A guy in an old fashion suit had climbed out of the pod aiming a hyper electromagnet at Generator. His suit was trying to protect him, increasing its shielding. The man held a scanner in his left hand aiming it at the struggling hero. After a moment he seemed satisfied slipping into a compartment on the belt and pulling out what looked to be a fancy injector gun. He was making his way towards the teen turning up the power up on the device.

Something seemed to take over Generator at that moment, it was like someone else was in control. Gritting his teeth he let his willpower grow blossoming inside him until it unfurled. He defied the power of the magnet forming his Bad Axes slicing them in x scissor pattern, destroying the magnet and gun while tearing pieces of the guy's suit in different places. Pushing up with his hands he delivered a devastating double kick before springing into the air rotating upright. He punched hard striking multiple times in the shoulder, chest and abdomen. The man tried to defend blocking with his arms and throwing his own punch which was easily backhanded. Gripping his opponents right shoulder blade he crushed it between his fingers. The man winced going down, but jerked his knee up catching Generator off guard. He was about to bring both hands down on his head only to find himself being attacked by the Funchucks. He was battered about back and forth the rest of his suit coming apart before he was head butted to the ground. He formed his BFS holding it at the ready. "Who are you and why are you after the Omega?"

A muffled accent voice replied, "The Omega belongs to me. I don't know how you got it, but you won't be keeping it. Hand it over."

"Sorry, it's a part of me now. Even if it wasn't I promised someone I wouldn't let anyone take it. Going to give up?" Generator challenge. The man refused going for his belt. The BFS changed to battle saw mode trimming the rest of the suit to pieces and cracking the helmet. The guy found himself tossing his helmet off as he was shoved to the ground with the Punk Busters pinning him and the Slam Cannon aimed at his head. The extra willpower, combined with the Omega, had helped Generator overcome his block to form multiple builds. He was ready to attack the man when he froze seeing his face clearly.

The Hispanic man was confused as his foe in the power suit backed off, his machines vanishing. He got to his feet pulling out a prototype smaller version of his hyper electromagnet, when the sound of ships and tanks were heard. They both looked up to see Providence jump jets and the Keep making their way towards them along with some tanks. A Hope mobile research lab was also making its way towards them. "Who are these guys?"

"I'll leave you to Providence, we'll finish this another time." Generator said forming his Rex Ride before riding away. The man wanted to go after him only to stop in his tracks as he found two blades aimed at his throat. Six looked at the man suspiciously with a single eyebrow raised.

"Do you mind removing your blades from my throat please? I need to..."

"Your not going anywhere. Not only did you attack Hope's base leaving several of my colleagues injured while letting loose several EVOs, your little stunt in the city nearly got more than a dozen people injured or killed. Your weapons also damaged Providence tech with your long-range pulse. I have every reason to detain you sir."

A Providence jump jet landed, the back hatch opening. Hurrying down the ramp was a team of Providence agents along with Holiday, Meechum, and Rylander. The later shouting at him. "Stand down Six, I know this man. I can explain everything."

"Rylander, Meechum, what is going on? My research pod gets stuck in hyper space for fifteen minutes and the world goes crazy. Rylander how could you lose the Omega to a..."

"Caesar it would be wise if you shut up for a few minutes," Meechum informed him. The man, now identified as Caesar, gave Meechum a look of disbelief. Six slowly lowered his katanas as Holiday came over to him. Both of them were still staring at the man wide eye because of his appearance.

"Who are you and why do you look like our son?"

Caesar looked at her confused as Rylander stepped between them. "Everyone cool, both of you have a lot to talk about, including catching you up Caesar with the last five years, but first introductions. Mrs. Rebecca Holiday Hayashi and Six, may I introduce you to Caesar Salazar, an old colleague who worked on the Nanite Project with us. Caesar, I like to introduce you to your brother Rex's adoptive parents." The look of shock and confusion on their faces was beyond description. Rylander drummed his fingers together knowing he would have a lot of explaining to do once they got back to Providence.

* * *

It would take all afternoon and sped up DNA test to convince the Hayashi's that Caesar was truly Rex's brother. They were uncertain what to make of this genius yet eccentric young man. Likewise it appeared Caesar was the same demanding to see Rex right away. Rylander managed to keep the young man under control enough to convince him to meet his brother tomorrow after he got settled into his new home at Providence. Both him and Meechum stressed to Caesar certain facts to the Hispanic hoping he would listen for a change, but they would see.

The next day Caesar arrived at the Hayashi house forty five minutes before Rex would get home from school to inspect the house and talk with Holiday and Six. Holiday greeted him warmly, but Six was still glaring at him in distrust. "Glad you could make it. So this our home. The downstairs consists of the foyer here, along with the living room, kitchen, laundry/pantry and of course the hall closet. We've converted our basement into a dojo for Six to train with Rex. Upstairs we have the bedrooms, bath and my office with another closet. A lot of our stuff is stored neatly in the attic. We picked up a few things on our world travels."

"I recall how Mammy and Pappy would do the same thing with me before we settled down in Geneva. Your house is a bit smaller than our chateau was, but it seems to be okay. So you home schooled Rex during your travels huh? Mijo must have had a blast, but I'm surprised that he's not taking AP courses in that school of his. He's the son of two brilliant scientists so he needs to be pushed to stimulate his intellect," Caesar remarked. He was sitting on the couch flipping through photo albums unaware of the tick on Six's face for insulting their home inadvertently.

Caesar stared at the photos hardly believing that nearly six years had passed in the fifteen minutes it took to regain control of his ship. His baby brother was now a teenager. He traced a finger over Rex's school picture noticing how much he was starting to resemble their pappy Rafael. He blinked back tears as he came across the last photo in the album, a recent family portrait of Rex sitting between Six and Holiday smiling happily. "Mijo's seems very happy and well adjusted."

"He is Caeser. He's got friends and loves his school. He's has many hobbies and interests. He's loved by everyone." Holiday reached out to touch his shoulder when they heard the front door open with voices coming through. The three of them stilled waiting.

"No way Noah, I'm telling you the truth. I think Mr. Buichner really wants a pony. I saw him doodling them in his agenda before class..." Rex stopped talking as he saw their guest. He unconsciously took a step back, gripping his backpack strap tightly. Noah also noticed the visitor. Sensing he was intruding he said goodbye to Rex leaving the family alone with their guest. "Mom, Dad, whose this guy?"

Caesar got up strolling over and giving the boy a big hug. "Mijo, its me Caesar. Don't you recognize me? I know they said you had retrograde amnesia, but surely you know who I am."

Rex shoved the older man off him. He darted behind the chair Six was in with fear in his eyes. "I don't know who you are or what you're doing in my house." Six touched Rex's hand nodding towards the couch. The two Hispanics sat down on the couch. Holiday leaned forward in her chair giving him a reassuring smile. "What's going on?"

"Rex, do you recall yesterday's events? Hope having an intruder and the air battle downtown? Well this young man was responsible. His name is Caesar Salazar and he's your older brother. Before you say anything Drs. Rylander and Meechum confirmed his identity along with a DNA test. We invited him over so you could get reaquainted. Its okay."

"I'm sorry if I startled you baby brother I tend to forget social niceties. You think after missing nearly six years when stuck in sublight travel I catch up. You seem to be doing well that's good. I really liked to hear more about your life now. Six mentioned you enjoyed traveling the world. What was your favorite place?"

"I enjoyed our time in Mexico. Before we talk about me I want to know something. You said only fifteen minutes past for you. So instead of looking for me or our parents what were you looking for when you came out of sublight travel?"

Caesar was oblivious to the underlying tone of his brother. He just ran a hand through his thick hair laughing a bit. "Oh, right well you see I was looking for the Omega 1 nanite. It was a project that Rylander and I worked on together. It was a top priority because of how important it was to the overall project. My pod's sensors indicated it was in Hope, but I'm starting to think they were damaged during my flight. Holiday says she never had it. I'm still angry at Rylander for losing it. I wanted to track it more, but it seems the person who has it is shielding it from me somehow. Don't worry I'll find it."

"Oh I'm not worried, a super nanite is so much more important than your family. Surely causing panic and terror while searching for it takes precedence. Was nearly killing a dozen or more people downtown a requirement for finding this nanite?" Caesar frowned realizing his brother was being sarcastic with him. He reached out to him only for the teen to twist away from his touch. "I've got some questions. Who are our parents? Are they even alive? What caused the Nanite Event and does it have anything to do with my amnesia?"

"Our parents were Rafael and Violeta Salazar. They were scientists working on the Nanite Project with me. They were loving, caring, amazingly brilliant people. I'm sorry to say they didn't survive the Event. I'll tell you more about them later, let's focus instead on your memory loss. I'm sure that there's correlation between your memory loss and the Event I'm just not sure what. As for what caused it, I can't really tell you. The whole Project leading up to the event is one complicate problem."

"To complicate to tell your baby brother about? I spent four months on the streets because of that Event nearly dying. I wondered if I even had a family out there looking for me. I deserve to know what led up to those events and your saying its to complicated to explain? What a cop out." Rex kicked at the coffee table in anger getting a disapproving look from his parents. He hung his head mumbling sorry. Caesar lifted his head gently turning him to look him in the eyes.

"I'm sorry you had to live four months alone wandering the streets. That shouldn't have happened. I can't tell you how grateful I am that your foster parents took you in. They've done an adequate job in taking care of you. I know you can be handful at times. I'm impressed that two people, who weren't even in a relationship at the time, managed to work together in raising a ten year old amnesic EVO while traveling the world. Have they been monitoring your nanite activity adequately? Have you developed any new powers in the last few years? Are you helping with the nanite research at Hope?"

After years of practice, it was second nature for the family to look puzzled and confused by the idea that Rex was an EVO. Just because Caesar was his brother didn't mean they trusted him with Rex's current status. It was second nature for them to deny anything. "What are you rambling about now? I'm _not_ an EVO! Do I look like an out of control being? Don't you think if I had powers I would have used them to get off the streets sooner?"

"Are you sure that you're feeling alright Caesar? In the years since we've been a family Rex has never demonstrated any powers whatsoever. If he had then Providence surely would be alerted to that fact. I can testify that there are no active nanites in Rex," Holiday mentioned casually.

"No offence bonita, but I'm pretty sure I know my brother's nanite activity. He was the first one to be injected with them. You had so much fun using your powers to play with the lab equipment. I think Meechum nearly had a heart attack once when he thought you deleted all his work. Oh come on stop playing with me. I'll just give your nanites a little jump start." The man grabbed the teen's arm pulling out a small medical tool with a needle point. He was about to prick the boy when Six reacted pulling him away from his son. He crushed the Hispanic's hand causing him to drop the device which Holiday retrieved. He shoved the guy up to the wall pinning him there. "_Guao, tranquilos. Yo sólo estaba tratando de ayudar a mi hermano. Yo no le hará daño."_

"Help me? You were going to stick me with something! Do you normally experiment on family? What gives you the right to do that?"

"I was just trying to help you with your nanite control. It's entirely possible that you overloaded their power in attempt to survive the event. In that case they must have shut down. I was just going to reactivate them. Maybe we can work on that while I develop a way to unblock your memories. It would be fascinating to see if the nanites are related to the memory loss. I think I could reprogram them to help..."

"There will be no experimenting on my son. You are a guest here who is quickly wearing out his welcome. I don't appreciate having to protect my child from someone whose suppose to be his brother," Six told him dropping the man. He straightened his tie glaring at him behind his sunglasses.

"I am his brother and he's not your child; at least not for much longer when I overturn his illegal adoption." The family looked at him in horror sputtering protests as the man's eyes locked with Six. "I know how hard it is to legally adopt a foreign street child in another country especially in Hong Kong. Somehow you managed to get through the red tape in a matter of hours instead of weeks. During that time you should have attempted to find out Rex's identity."

"We attempted everything to find out Rex's birth family including checking international missing children reports and entering his DNA into the Interpol database. There were no matches and with Rex's amnesia, he couldn't tell us anything about his past," Holiday argued. She was hugging the teen tightly afraid to let him go.

"Regardless, you still took shortcuts in the adoption process making it questionable. Given enough time you would have discovered his identity. The courts would have placed him with his next of kin or his godfather Rylander. I understand Rylander vanished, but that was six months after the Event. No matter I'm back now and I'm his legal guardian by right. I'm sure once I explain my situation to a judge they'll award me custody. I know you have been good foster parents giving him a good life. I have to wonder how good of a life mijo had considering you're a former mercenary. Did you forget to mention that when you forced his adoption through?"

"We did what was necessary to get him of the streets. You have a lot of nerve coming here threatening to take our son away. We've given him stability, love, and good life these past five almost six years considering his birthday is next week."

"His birthday is not for another month and half. He can still have stability and his life, once he moves with me into Providence. With their resources I can help my brother regain his memory and so much more."

"Providence? You're out of your freaking mind if you think I go anywhere near that place after they've threatened Mom and Dad."

"Rex Salazar they are not your parents. Mammy and Pappy wouldn't want you to live with strangers. I'm your older brother and I'm telling you..." Caesar never finished his sentence. Rex broke free of his parents grip and punched his brother in the nose breaking it. Blood started to flow as Caesar pinched it. He looked at his little brother confused and hurt that he would do this to him.

Rex was seizing, trying to keep his anger in check. It was taking all his willpower not to form a build and attack him. Thoughts of breaking his brother's arm were bubbling up as he pushed them back down. "My name is Rex Hayashi. You may be my brother, but you aren't acting like it. You've attacked my Mom's lab and caused untold panic and destruction in town. You refuse to tell me about the Nanite Event dangling my past with our parents as a treat. Not many big brothers would attempt to experiment on their younger sibling. You've insulted the only parents I know and threatened to take me away from my life. I don't know who you think you are, but you're not my _brother!_ I don't ever want to see or hear from you again! Leave me alone!" With tears in his eyes Rex raced up the stairs, the sound of his bedroom door slamming echoed through the house.

"Mijo come back!" Caesar moved to go after him only to be blocked by Six and Holiday. Both had dark looks in their eyes.

"I think its best if you leave now. We'll go calm Rex down. Don't attempt to contact him right now," Holiday said. She hurried up the stairs to comfort her son leaving her husband to escort the man outside. Six marched the man outside nearly tossing him out the door. "We'll be in touch about visitation rights with Rex. He's upset now. Maybe in the future he'll want to contact you, but for right now I think its best you leave us alone. Goodbye Mr. Salazar." Six slammed the door in Caesar's face.

The Hispanic man stood there for a few minutes stunned by the turn of events. He contemplated breaking back in and taking Rex by force, but decided to leave him for now. He get custody legally. For now, he needed to talk to Rylander about why he hadn't told Rex about his past or taken him in. One way or another he was going to get his family back no matter what the cost.


	5. Cogs

Meechum and Rylander were in the lab working reluctantly with Dr. Fell. The later was being very uncooperative as the other two were using Holiday's data to try to figure out what caused the nanites to share with one another. They were doing some tests with a few animal EVOs and Dr. Fell kept dragging his feet. He stated if Holiday's so called data was correct they should be testing on human EVOs, but the other two had overridden him.

"I still don't see how useful this could be in the long run. Our research purpose is to find a way to elimanate EVOs, not teach them to be more dangerous. Honestly, that woman has some crazy ideas if you ask me."

"We didn't ask you. Your lack of professionalism towards Holiday has me wondering why Providence keeps you around at all," Meechum remarked in a bored tone of voice. He was on his last nerve with the man. He wasn't any real help with the nanite research and had a terrible temperament to match.

Rylander ignored the sputtering of the other man as he examined the nanites. He clicked a few keys on the computer sending a signal to the nanites hoping to see a change between them and their hosts, but nothing. "I think we've done all we can for today. The nanites simply aren't responding to our signals. We should give the test subjects some rest and rethink our strategy. Be a good man Fell and return the subjects to the Petting Zoo please."

The man reluctantly left the other two scientists as he tried to drag the two bird EVOs out of the lab. He called for back up which responded quickly. The annoying twerp and the stooges had just left when the doors to the lab swished opened. An angry Caesar with a bandaged over his nose marched over towards Rylander, yanked him up and started shaking him. _"Rylander! Tiene algo que explicar. ¿Cómo podría perder el Omega? Más importante aún, ¿por qué no se le digo a mi hermano sobre su pasado o llevarlo?"_

"Caesar, put him down and get ahold of yourself! What's got you so upset? Tell us you didn't screw up your visit with the Hayashi's," Meechum said, prying the two men apart. He dipped his head at Rylander who subtly pushed a hidden button activating a privacy field in the lab locking it down. No one, not even White Knight, could see or hear their conversation now until the button was pressed again. "Did Six break your nose?"

"No Rex did. I can't understand how my mijo could do something like this! I'm wondering if that man corrupted him."

"Seems to us we have a lot to discuss. Why don't you sit down and tell us what happened?" Rylander pulled out a chair as the trio sat down. As Caesar explained what had occurred the older men shook their heads in disbelief at his actions. They had warned him that Rex had amnesia, about how close the family was, and protective of one another. Meechum had gone as far to warn him against bringing up Providence. Seemed like ADD Caesar, as he was nicknamed, hadn't listened to his betters once more.

"So, instead of heeding our advice, you went ahead insulting the Hayashi's and threatening to take your brother from the only family and security he's known. That's after you tried to turn him into an experiment. I'm surprised Rex didn't break more then your nose. You're an idiot Caesar," Meechum stated dryly.

"I wasn't trying to hurt him! I was..."

Rylander put a finger to the Hispanic's lips shushing him up. He could feel the young man shaking trying to restrain his anger. Caesar was still stuck in his slightly immature twenty year old mind as his body tried to catch up with the last five years in order to make him a real adult. "Caesar, you're a brilliant inventor and a dedicated scientist, but a lousy listener. You didn't hear anything we said last night about the past five years correct?" Caesar nodded his head. "Alright, this time put on your listening ears and pay close attention. This is very important."

Rylander was quiet for a few minutes as he gathered his thoughts. He wondered how to explain the situation to his friend. Deciding to go with a bit of blunt honesty he looked the young man in the eye as he spoke. "The first few months after the Event were pure hell. The guilt of seeing so many people harmed by our decision ate at us. Instead of bringing the world closer together we split it further apart. People were turning into EVOs at an alarming rate, police forces couldn't protect their citizens while all the governments blamed one another for the incident. Meechum and I were being hunted down by the Consortium who wanted us to fix the nanites, make them work properly. We couldn't let that happen."

"You think you're the only one with family problems? My wife Lana died three years ago leaving me to raise Sarah alone. We were doing fine until Van Kliess's Pack kidnapped her. He wanted me to help him fix the unstable nanites for him. The stress of the situation caused my nanites to activate. I went on a rampage in New York gathering followers. Before you go vilifying the Hayashi's know without them most of Manhattan would have been killed in a bleach bomb set by Providence. Six kept me contained as Holiday used her cure gun on me. Initially it didn't work, but when I heard that their son risked his life to save my daughter I let it work," he said recalling what happened. He held up a hand to keep Caesar from interrupting. "No, I didn't know it was Rex and before you ask Providence took me into protective custody to keep Van Kliess from getting me. Sarah's at a boarding school in England. I'm only allowed to contact her once a month and I only get to see her under intense supervision for security purposes. That's how paranoid Providence is."

"_Siento lo de su esposa Meechum. _What about you Rylander? What happened to Gemma and Zack?"

"We were able to stay together for about six months or so, but by then the situation with the nanites had grown out of control. Providence had just formed, funded by the Consortium no doubt though I don't have any proof. They were capturing or killing EVOs by the armfull. Sentient beings becoming monsters losing their sanity or worse, being dissected by Fell in an ill attempt to reverse the situation. I had to do something. Gemma agreed to go into hiding with Zack while I searched for a way to undo our mistake. I tried for years to find a way, I hoped the Omega would be the solution. The only reason I was discovered is because I got cocky. I was foolish to challenge the Consortium, it lead me to my downfall."

Caesar interrupted the conversation at that point. "I reviewed the mission report last night. I read between the lines. What I'm having a bit of trouble understanding is how you could have given the Omega to a masked EVO. What we're you thinking, were you even thinking at all?"

Rylander glared at him in annoyance. Did he really believe he was that careless with the Omega? "I think under the circumstances I made the right choice. I couldn't let Providence or Van Kliess have the Omega. There's no telling what they do with a human nanite interface that has a self replication program. Hope might have been a better option, but they were outnumbered and still to new. It had taken about a year for Holiday to convert the old plant into a research facility and get the necessary bodies to run it. The Gears were my best option. They don't work for anyone only caring about the innocent. Without Generator's help I would have died. At the time, I was seventy five percent certain Generator was Rex, but now I'm not so sure. It trusted my instincts and they didn't let me down. The Gears protected that nanite from a perceived threat. Its safe with them so don't worry Caesar. Either way here I am working for Providence with little contact with my family."

As the words sunk in Caesar realized that there was more going on then he realized. Since Providence was recognized as the legal agency for anything dealing with nanites then they had the right to keep him and his former colleagues in protective custody. Everything they owned could be easily taken for Providence's own use. While Providence was slowly changing they were still a long way from solving the problem. Someone was financing this entire operation, but for what purpose? Maybe it had been a good idea to let Generator and the Gears take the Omega. Still, there was the pressing matter of Rex. "I understand your reasoning about the Omega. With the available data you made the right choice. I can forgive you for that, but not about Rex! Why didn't you take him off the streets? At the very least once you knew he was alive it was your duty as his godfather to take him in and tell him about his past. I don't understand why you didn't do that."

"Meechum and I talked about when I arrived. After a long discussion we agreed it was best if neither of us did anything at the present time."

"_Dios mío, ¿por qué no? Rex merecen saber la verdad acerca de dónde salió." _Caesar interuppted only to be slapped on the head by Meechum. "What did we say about listening for a change? If you would zip your lips maybe you would find out why we made that choice."

Rylander got up, placing a comfortable hand on Caesar shoulder rubbing them gently. "Try to understand the situation. Rafael and Violeta were dead, you were MIA and we were locked up in protective custody. Meanwhile Van Kliess is out there thinking and doing who knows what. All tests indicate Rex is a normal human now, but that doesn't mean his powers couldn't reawaken. If they do, you know Van Kliess will be after him, especially if he dangled his past before him. We couldn't let that happen. The past almost six years have been wonderful for your brother. He's seen the world with two people who love him more then life. He has friends, goes to a good school, and has a lot of interests. He's a happy normal teenager. After what happened to him, prior and just after the Event, he deserves it. It would have been counterproductive to break his heart. Do you understand?"

"I'm starting to, but I can't just sit by and do nothing. He's my baby brother, my responsibility. The longer he stays with his foster parents the less chance he'll have of remembering who he was. He can still have his life, he'll just be living here with me is all! I just need to talk to him. If he'll just give me a chance I'll make up for all the lost time. I would consent to letting him still visit the Hayashis," Caesar insisted, his expression mixed. "I just want mi familia back. Is that so much to ask?"

"No, but its going to take awhile to earn his trust and respect back. I know from a friend's experience how hard custody cases can be. They can be trying and your circumstances are unusual to say the least. I take it you won't give up this custody issue huh?" Caesar shook his head so Meechum sighed before continuing. "Then you're in for a long hard battle as you prepare your case. No matter what the outcome, Rex's going to be caught in the middle, being hurt by all this."

"I suggest you take it slow and one step at a time. Just hear me out. You need to bond again with your brother. He may not wish to see you now, but give him time to cool off a bit. Then attempt to contact him whether by email, letter, or a phone call. Try to see him in public places. Eventually he'll come to you for a visit. Just give it time Caesar." The young man nodded heeding the words of his elders this time. The privacy field was lifted and the three went back to work before White Knight could yell at them.

* * *

While Rex was sulking and Caesar was planning his custody case Siren was busy in Abysus. Van Kliess had seen the news reports about the incident in Haven City. He had said an old friend had returned, one that could potentially ruin his plans. He had taken the other Pack members with him to the Bug Jar to get some new recruits to help deal with the threat. He'd left Siren in charge of Abysus with instructions to keep the place running smoothly and to see how Rex was doing. She'd sent a text to him only to get a response that he wanted to be alone for a while, but that he still loved her.

Knowing she wouldn't get another opportunity like this again she donned her power suit using its stealth feature to investigate the castle. She had only a few hours until Van Kliess returned and she was going to make the most of them. Silently she slipped through the corridors until she was right outside Van Kliess bedroom door. It was locked, but after a few minutes with her lock pick she was granted entrance. Not even turning on a light she activated the night vision in her cowl taking a look around.

Van Kliess claimed to be a king and he sure lived like one. A giant four poster bed was in the center of the room. The furnishings were all new and expensive looking. His walls had no cracks in them and looked to be painted. She could see several blue prints and devices on a desk. She look at them later, right now she needed to find that journal. Slipping her hand under the pillow she pulled out the object. "Let's hope there's something I can use in here."

Siren flipped through a few pages trying to find one about the Project or Rex. The journal was detailed and meticulous. She finally came across an entry that looked interesting. _"Today we tested the nanites on Salazar's young son Rex. The boy had been caught in explosion when the steam vents blew. I thought for certain the boy would die, but instead he lived. Not only that, but he seems to be developing abilities not foreseen originally. Could this mean that the nanites will grant powers to anyone who uses them? If so what kind of powers would they be granted? Caesar is determined to help his baby brother in anyway he can. That fool doesn't know he'll be doing my work for me." _

Siren shivered at the tone of these entries. She flipped a few more pages using a mini camera to copy the ones she found vital. There were a few entries about Rex developing his powers and the events leading up to the Nanite Event. She wondered who the scary lady subject that the Consortium had hired or who they were. Van Kliess didn't go into a lot of detail about her or the benefactors only that they were fools and he show them. The entries after the event were fewer. The man must have been busy running his kingdom to keep up. There was mention of a great power below the castle that he was trying to secure, but what it was she couldn't tell. Her heart froze as she read a recent entry.

"_My plans are slowly coming together. Soon, I will have the power to control the world. The Evolution Machine and Rex Salazar Hayashi are the key to my victory. My little ward Circe has proven herself to be a valuable tool. It is only a matter of time before she lures the boy here with promises of his past revealed. The study of Rex's nanites leads me to conclude the boy may have the ability to turn his nanites off and on. For the past several years he's kept them off subconsciously to lead a normal life. I intend not only to turn them back on, but improve upon them. The boy will become my willing pawn; helping me to gather the nanites greatest power before making me a god. When that happens my Pack will enslave humanity and I will rule forever with my loyal pawns obeying my orders."_

The thought of Rex being a servant to Van Kliess made her ill. She couldn't allow that to happen. Placing the journal back under the pillow she made her way to the table. There were plans for inventions to use against Providence and scattered notes about the nanites. Interestingly enough there was a report about the Omega. She made a copy of that before slipping out of the room. Time to investigate the lower levels. If there was a great power there she needed to find out what it was. Making sure the stealth feature was still working she slipped past some of the EVOs and down the stairs.

It was dark, cold, with water dripping down the walls. She kept one hand on the wall as she made her way down the passage. Her sensors analyzed her surroundings. She was picking up a massive heat source coming from the floors beneath her. A few minutes later she came across a wall of solid nanites. She attempted to interface with them, but they repulsed her. Her sensors wouldn't penetrate the wall so she pulled out a mini sonar imaging machine and a drill. She managed to break through the floor a bit. Holding out her machine she took pictures trying to get an idea of the layout below. The images showed what looked to be parts of lab and maybe a reactor of some kind. She couldn't see the rest of the catacombs frustrating her greatly. "I could blow a hole, but that might destabilize the foundation. Not mention bring the residents down here to investigate. Maybe a tunneler could get me down there? How would I convince someone to check out the lower levels especially after Van Kliess forbid it? This is going to be harder than I thought."

Her power suit started beeping alerting her to the fact someone was coming. Using her rope dart like a pully she pulled herself up towards the ceiling just as a tunneling EVO emerged from the ground. She believed he was called Bannock. She had seen him before and he liked to practice with her. He looked around making some clicking sounds. Fearing he would discover her despite the stealth, Siren started crawling along the ceiling on the dangling vines. She made her way back towards the staircase flipping down. A digital clock in her cowl told her she only had twenty minutes before Van Kliess returned. She hurried to her room to hide her suit and spy kit. She barely made it back to the throne room in time to greet a triumphant Van Kliess. "I see that your adventure paid off sir. Were there any complications?"

"Some my dear, but nothing we couldn't handle. I'm sure the leader of the Bug Jar, a fellow by the name NoFace, will be sore for a while after I roughed him up a bit. Still, several of the EVOs there are perfect for our needs. Has everything been running smoothly here?"

Circe nodded. "I got a text from Rex earlier. He seems very unhappy. I don't think he liked his brother's surprise visit."

"Caesar's lack of social skills are responsible for that. The man is brilliant I'll admit, but his faults will only push Rex closer to you and eventually me. Keep up the good work my dear." The leader of Abysus patted her on the back before heading to his own rooms to rest. Circe would have to wait until later to transmit what she learned to her friends.

* * *

A few days later Rex was waiting in the gym for Noah to get down with table tennis practice. There was a big tournament at the end of the week. Rex still was amazed by how crazed the school seemed to get about the sport. Not even Annie or Claire could explain why though both agreed it got a little out of hand at times. Rex trying to focus on his homework because midterms were coming up. He hoped to do well on them since this semester had been so hard on him. For some reason though he just couldn't concentrate on his science homework. He was supposed to finish reading a chapter and doing the assigned worksheets, but his mind kept wandering. His brother's visit had left him shaken.

So far he hadn't had anymore contact with Caesar. The man hadn't attempted to call, email, or show up in person. That might have to do with Six threatening the man with getting a restraining order if he didn't leave them alone for now. Rex didn't recall his brother, but he knew deep down that the man wasn't one to give up. If he was determined to get custody he would fight for it. What would happen if he did win and took Rex away from everything he knew? Rex was brought out of his funk when he heard a sharp crack and wail of dismay from Noah along the lines of, "How could you break your wrist during the most important week of the year?!"

Later that night Rex was playing with his food. Six had prepared tacos one of his favorite foods, but the teen wasn't interested in eating. The parents noticed this and decided to broach the subject. "Rex, is something the matter? You've hardly touched your dinner. Does this have something to do with Caesar?"

"What? No Mom, I'm just annoyed right now with Noah. Do you remember how I told you about his popularity because of him being on the table tennis team? Well during practice today his partner broke his wrist trying to recover a shot. That's when I learned about Noah's underhand sneakiness. He decided to sign me up as the alternate without my consent. So now I'm stuck playing as his partner on Friday's tournament."

Six raised an eyebrow surprised that Noah had accomplished something so underhanded. He would have to praise the teen next time he saw him. Holiday grinned softly looking amused by the situation. "While it was underhanded of Noah, this is a good opportunity for you to show some school spirit. Rex, you've never seem to get involved in any activities at school. I know that's partially our fault for being so protective of you. This is a chance to be apart of something for once."

"Its table tennis, not volleyball or soccer. I've never even really played the game before. What if I lose the tournament for the school? Noah mentioned that East Side has these twin brothers who are monsters at the game. If we want to win we'll have to beat them."

"Don't doubt yourself I have a feeling table tennis will be easier than you think for yourself. While it may not be as exciting as volleyball or soccer, it's still a fast past game. I'm sure you'll have fun. Besides, it gives your mother and I an excuse to leave work early on Friday to watch you play. It could be a real family outing," Six said. Rex conceded defeat looking forward to being part of big tournament. Maybe it would take his mind off his brother.

During the rest of the week Rex was amazed by how much a celebrity he became just by agreeing to play on the C-notes. His friends and he got to sit at the good lunch tables with treats, girls were forming fanclubs, and the teachers seemed to be going a bit easier on him. Maybe he should have gotten involved with team sports earlier. Finally it was the day of the tournament. He was waiting in the hall with his parents, they were taking pictures. He blushed as Beverly, who had taken the day of from classes, gave him a big good luck kiss. "My little nephew is a superstar! Oh I just know your going to be great in the tournament."

"With me as his partner how can we lose? Just think in two short hours we'll be the reigning table tennis champions! Popularity for the rest of the year! Well come one we have to get in the line up. See you later," Noah said dragging Rex into the line up. The family exited into the gym to find good seats when Holiday and Six stiffened. Beverly followed their gaze frowning a bit. Halfway up and to the right sat Caesar Salazar. He had bag at his feet and notebook in his hands. He seemed to be taking pictures with a camera.

"What is he doing here? Is he trying to get on our bad side?"

"Calm down Six, the tournament is open to the public. He's got every right to be here though I'm not pleased by it."

"Don't worry sis, I can handle this just fine. He hasn't met me and with his attention span I don't he'll recall if he ever saw my face in the photo albums. This is going to be fun," Beverly said rubbing her hands together mischievously. She hurried up the stairs flipping her hair and switching out her studs for hoops. She pulled out her tablet holding it at an angle so Caesar could see her tech class project. "Hi, is this seat taken?"

Caesar, who was lost in thought, looked up. For a split second his heart seemed to beat just a tiny bit faster. "Hello, um no this seat's not taken. Feel free to sit down. Are you a student here?"

"Oh no, I'm a freshman at Progressive Tech Community College. My name is Beverly. I have a relative playing today so I thought I come see. What about you? Do you have someone in the tournament?"

Caesar nodded holding out his hand. The two shook them in a firm grip. "Caesar Salazar. My mijo, I mean, my little brother. I wanted to see how well he plays. Growing up this wasn't one of his favorite games. Still mijo loved to win so let's see if he can. Oh, what's that your working on?"

"Its my semester design project. I trying to create a green tech that preserves the function of something we use now without causing pollution while increasing the speed. Just need to play with my cogs so to speak. You can look later the tournament is about to begin," Beverly said batting her eyelashes. She leaned against him coyly causing him to blush. Giggling she looked down at the tournament below.

Rex found himself enjoying being part of the tournament. It was fun playing a sport and being partners with Noah. His own serves sent the ball spinning on the other side of the court. Noah was making a few saves even as the ball got close to the net. When Rex slammed the ball back no one seemed to be able to send it back. The rally scoring systems meant that the C-notes reached eleven points rather quickly. "This is a lot of fun! I'm starting to understand how addictive this can be."

"I know and its great exercise. All this running around and strike the ball works your muscles. Take that! Alright we win the match! On to the next!" The C-notes played at four more matches before they were up against East High. Gabe and Micheal were big, ugly, and looked like they were ready to throw down. Yelling from the sidelines was their coach/dad.

"Alright you two, this is the final match! Don't give up a single point! I want to see sharp returns! Gabe don't block your brother! Micheal those serves better be on fire! Do you understand me?!"

The game started off fiercely. Micheal's serves were hard and fast leaving Noah little time to react. He managed to catch the ball on the corner of the table sending it back. Gabe slammed it hard nearly taking off the net. With Rex's quick reflexes he managed to recover and slam the ball back. It was intense going back and forth between the two players. Finally after ten minutes with no score Rex called for a time out. Leaving their paddles on the table he went to get a much needed drink. "You weren't kidding when you said they were monsters. I've never seen anyone play that viciously."

"Yeah their dad is all about winning at no matter the cost. I suspect he might be doping them, but can't figure out how. Any ideas of how to win?" Rex nodded giving a smirk. It was time to pull out the stops. "Hope you did well in trig because that's what's going to save our butts. It's all about the angles and spin of the ball right? Look follow my lead and we'll win. I promise you."

As the game resumed the stands were full of cheering fans. Holiday was getting caught up in the moment calling out advice for Rex. Six was keeping one eye on the match and the other on the coach to make sure he didn't try anything. The whole gym did the wave as the C-notes scored the first point. "Yes, did you see that! Rex managed to break their combo!" Holiday screamed into his ear. Further up in the stands Caesar was also admiring his brother's plays.

"Mijo, was fantastic. He's really using his mind to take in all the factors simultaneously before striking back. He might actually win this little tournament."

"Yeah, my nephew has a way of surprising people like that. He tends to joke a lot so people underestimate his intelligence. Well Rex is showing them huh? Oh yeah they scored another point!" Beverly fist pumped in excitement. She ignored the stare of Caesar as his brain caught up to her words. Slowly she turned giving him a big smile. "Oh, did I forget to mention my last name? I can be such a flake at times. My last name is Holiday, I'm Rebecca's younger sister."

Caesar started to get up and move away, but she yanked him back down. "Your not going anywhere now. The game is still on and I have a few things to say to you. So relax, have some popcorn. This match is finally getting interesting. Oh no they lost that point!"

The match was getting longer and longer. At first the C-notes managed to score effortlessly, but then they missed a serve. The brothers started pounding the table top sending rapid fire back at them. They lost a few points managing to get their second wind. Recovering the ball the C-Notes pulled out some amazing plays. The screaming of the East Side coach motivated the brothers enough to regain the ball. Finally both teams were tied at ten. The next team to score two points won. East Side had the serve.

"You fools are going down!" Micheal snarled.

"Nobody defeats us!" Gabe added.

"Shut up and play!" Rex snapped. Micheal served the ball fast and hard striking the corner of the table. Noah blindly hit it back over the net to Gabe. The dude smashed it hard toward Rex who saw it coming towards him. Pivoting on his right foot he adjusted his stance lobbying it back over. Micheal managed to hit it, but it caught in the net losing both the ball and point.

Noah looked at Rex who used a hand signal to tell him what to do. He bounced the ball low angling off the court before lobbing it over the net. The twins kept pace returning them faster and at impossible angles, but Rex's brain saw it all. With one quick slide to the left with a bit of pressure to the paddle the ball bounced across the court, the boys missing it. The umpire awarded them the point as the gym erupted in applause. They had won the tournament! "Nice working with you partner!"

"Still regret me signing you up?" Noah asked. Claire rushed over kissing him as Annie fist pumped Rex. Cameras were flashing as the boys held the trophy high. Six and Holiday were clapping their hands hugging Rex tightly praising him for a job well done. Watching the scene from above was Caesar and Beverly, who hadn't left their seats quiet yet.

"What do you know Rex pulled out a win. He's amazing like that isn't he?"

"Mammy would be pleased; she liked sports a bit more than Pappy did. He doesn't seem angry with his best friend anymore. I was under the impression that he was forced into this."

"He was, but Rex is good about forgiving people; even those he considers enemies. Caesar, I'm not going to try to convince you to give up your custody case because that would be foolish. You have the same look of determination in your eyes that Rex has. Just remember two things. One, that our family loves Rex, he's been apart of our lives for six years now. He's brought joy to my sister. I hate to see her lose that joy. Second, ask yourself are you doing this for Rex's benefits or your own? Because I see no reason you can't join our family instead of tearing it apart. Have a nice day, I'm going to go celebrate Rex's win with some ice cream." She brushed past him, slipping her drive back into her pocket. When she grabbed his arm earlier she secretly planted a wi-fi drive to connect to Caesar's system. Now she had it back and looking forward to learning more about Caesar and his ideas.

* * *

It was the night after the tournament and the Gears were out on patrol of the city seeing if there was anything that required their attention. So far nothing major was coming up on their scanners so they were simply enjoying their rebuilt rides. App was still upset about her cycle having to be rebuilt completely after Caesar shot it down. She had wanted to foot him the bill for replacement parts, but Chaos pointed out that would reveal their secret identities.

"All seems quiet on the home front tonight. There are no reports of EVO activity anywhere. Police activity is at a relative low. We might actually have the night off. One more circuit around town and then maybe a late movie?" Wingman suggested.

"I'll pass, I have to finish working on my a paper for my gen ed English class. The curse of being a college freshman is trying to get your gen eds done as fast as possible," Spyder replied.

"You think that's bad, we've got midterms starting Tuesday. Its going to be pure torture," Chaos remarked shuddering at the thought of the tests.

"Haven't you been studying? I'm sure it won't be as bad as you think," App said to her friend.

The conversation halted as their screens lit up. A report was coming in live from Providence's secure channels. "All agents respond to the following coordinates. Repeat all agents respond to the following coordinates. The Pack is attacking in full force. Requesting backup and heavier firearms."

"Let's punch it people. Yo Mom, what's the location that's the Pack's attacking? What could they want from there?" Generator asked her as they zoomed through the streets.

Back at the auxiliary base Holiday was busy at the computer trying to make sense of the feed. She wasn't as adept as her sister when it came to managing the command center, but she managed to figure out what was going on. "According to the GPS, it's a chemical plant specializing in industrial graded chemicals as well as experiments on biochemical effects. I have no doubt that the Pack is after those chemicals for Van Kliess. The question is which ones and what he plans to do with them. Siren's latest reports said nothing about him needing chemicals."

"Yeah, well Van Kliess plays his cards close to his shirt so to speak. I suggest we worry about that later. Let's stop this theft first. Is Siren with them right now?"

"Her power suit homing beacon is traced to that location, but it's not in use."

"Understood. Hopefully she'll get an opening to use it without blowing her cover."

The Gears arrived at the scene minutes later just as Providence back up forces arrived. There were several EVOs of varying types on the outside pushing back the tanks and cycles. Troops were firing their weapons while trying to avoid setting off an explosion. Sensors indicated that the Pack was in the chemical plant dealing with some elite Providence agents led by Captain Callan.

"Whoa, this is insane! What's the plan fearless leader?" Chaos asked.

"Girls, think you can handle the EVOs on the outside? Good, Wingman and I will get inside the plant and assist Callan. Hopefully we can convince him we're not the threat White Knight thinks we are. Be careful everyone. Mom, keep an eye on the situation and let us know if there are any changes."

"Will do, your dad and the field agents are on their way. Good luck."

The girls got busy, their smaller riders slipping past the troops. Using their interface they told the vehicles to switch to autopilot as they jumped off their rides. App was on her feet first pulling out her naginata. Whirling it around expertly she stabbed the EVOs with the point. She jumped back doing a long sweep letting the curve of the blade land a few lacerations. She jumped on top of a rampaging rhino EVO hitting it on the head with the handle of her weapon in the eyes. The beast bulked throwing her off as she tumbled to the ground. She got to her feet thrusting the weapon forward to protect herself as the beast turned on her. It let out a roar of pain as blood trickled down its face. With one hand on her weapon the other reached into her medical pouch pulling out a syringe. Dodging to the side she jammed it into the flank of the beast releasing a powerful sedative causing the EVO to fall asleep. "Glad that worked, I was worried the dose might have been too much."

A shot rang out near her head startling her. "What the heck? Hey, I'm not the enemy here! I'm trying to help!" App shouted in disbelief as two Providence agents advanced on her.

"White Knight gave us strict orders when dealing with you Gears. We're to take you into custody for vigilantism and possible terrorist threat," one of the agents said pointing a high-powered rifle at her. The other was pulling out a pair of handcuffs. App stood there muttering to herself. A loud hum was heard followed by a screech. Her cycle had responded to her mental commands bowling over the two men. She dragged them out of the path of a charging Incisorax. "I so don't have time for this. You two owe me your lives," she muttered. She turned around as the Incisorax came after her again. Using its own momentum against it she used her enhanced strength to fling it into a nearby cage. Leaving the stunned men on the ground she jumped back on her cycle heading into battle once more.

Chaos was in the middle of her own battle with a pack of Swarmers. She was spinning around in circles trying to get away from the little monsters. She flipped out of the way firing her taser managing to get one of the Swarmers. More started jumping on her as she tried to fling them off. She stumbled back tripping over her feet. She was trying to reach for her stun gun as the Swarmers sank their teeth into her power suit. "Get your nasty little teeth off me!" Rolling around on the ground she managed to force them off before firing her stun gun. Unfortunately her supernatural clumsiness took out a few Providence agents, though that might have been a good thing as a giant fly EVO buzzed over them. She fired again taking it out. "Sorry, about that! Didn't mean to hit you. Hey, Spyder, think you could wrangle these EVOs up already?"

"What do you think I've been trying to do, bake a cake? It's not easy to hack a bunch of Providence vehicles while simultaneously trying to fight off a bunch of EVOs okay?" Spyder said. She dodge around some lava spit by a lava EVO. Her tonfas and martial arts were no match against the super heated EVO. Activating her WiFi link on the fly she connected with a tank. The men inside were surprised when their cannon shot foam out of the cannon containing the EVO. "Well one down, a few more to go. Sis, when's that husband of yours getting here?"

"He'll be there in ten minutes. Have you heard from Generator or Wingman?" she responded anxiously, Spyder reported a negative, but was certain they both were okay.

Wingman was riding on the back of Generator's Rex Ride seeing as how the corridors were to narrow for his car, which they left outside. Wingman was looking at his holomap directing Generator. "There's a large concentration of heat signatures two turns to the left then a right. Siren's power suit is still deactivated, but in the general vicinity."

"I hope she's okay. Okay turning, turning and duck!" Generator shouted as he demorphed his build. Giant crystals were being thrown in the air. They had stumbled across the fight with the Pack. Biowulf and Skalamander were engaged with the troops. Breach was in the lab using her portals to fight the agents while also transporting the chemicals to Abysus. Circe was next to her using her sonic blast to protect her. Her eyes lit up at the sight of her friends for a split second before resuming her attack.

"I was hoping you Gears would show up. I still owe you for the last time we met!" Biowulf snarled. He clawed through two agents coming after Generator only for Wingman to blind him with a high powered flashlight. He did a spin kick knocking Biowulf back. Drawing his knife he took a swipe at the EVO who shoved him towards Skalamander. Biowulf was intent on coming after Generator who formed his BFS. A single blast stunned the EVO for a few minutes.

"Couldn't let you have all the fun. So, whose side are you on this time?" Captain Callan asked as he fired another shot. He stood back to back with Generator as they both fought against Biowulf.

"The Gears aren't trying to cause trouble Captain Callan. We may not always agree with Providence methods, but letting Van Kliess have access to these chemicals is a bad idea."

"Agreed, lets see if we can stop these guys. Think your friend can handle the lizard?" Generator nodded. "Good, I'll keep fido busy, you stop the girls." Firing more shots Captain Callan started pushing Biowulf back. With the path clear Generator formed his Bad Axes going after the girls.

Breach smirked shooting mini portals at him which he dodged. He swished his build around trying to land a hit. She caught one blade in her giant hand shoving backwards throwing the guy off balance. Forming his Punk Busters he kicked out catching her in the chest. She stumbled backwards, her portals closing. He formed his Smack Hands ready to follow up an attack only to tackled to the side by Circe. They started rolling around on the ground struggling against one another with their powers. As they fell behind some equipment they had a moment to talk. "What is going on? Why are you helping them steal chemicals and for what reason?"

"You think I want to do this? Van Kliess needs the chemicals for his Evolution machine I suspect. He's got something big in the works. I have no idea what exactly, but I think it involves you."

"Me? What could he possibly want with me?"

"Not sure, but he seems eager to stick it to your brother for some reason. I think as petty revenge against being called a third rate lab hack or something. Look, I'm tried to slow them down, but it isn't working. Breach is going to be done with the transport any second now. I'll try to stop whatever Van Kliess is doing. In the meantime prepare for anything," she whispered. Nodding he flung her over the equipment so it looked like they were fighting still. Circe was caught in midair as red portal took her and all the EVOs away.

"Blast it, they got away again and with the chemicals. No telling what they want them for. I have a bad feeling about this."

"Agreed Captain. I'll see if one our contacts can figure it out. That is if you intend to let my team go. I know White Knight can't be happy with how we left things last time with him."

"He was fuming I'll admit. Still, your team helped us tonight. I think I can give your team a free pass just this once, but don't expect it again. Men, stand down. The Pack got away. Let the Gears leave in peace that's an order," Callan said into his com. There were protest, but he ordered them again to stand down so they did. He held out his hand to Generator who shook it. "It was nice fighting with you kid. Hopefully we get to do it again sometime." He watched as the Gears left the scene thinking they should be allies not enemies.

* * *

It was a good thing that midterms didn't start until Tuesday because the Gears would need the extra day to study. Claire and Noah were confident in maintaining their GPAs, but Annie was dreading her History midterm. Rex in general was concerned he wouldn't do well on any of his midterms except Trig. His parents had promised if he did well they get him a real special treat. He wondered what it would be.

The four friends had gathered outside the doors to the school. Rex chuckled nervously. "I can't believe I'm getting worked up over midterms. We still have to take finals in a few weeks and they're going to be twice as hard." He ran a hand through his hair taking a few deep breaths.

"You need to relax. Midterms are no sweat. Trust me on this. You'll do fine," Noah said patting his friend on the back. He hitched up his backpack and opened the door for his friends. "We'll review some more at lunch. Good luck Claire on your AP math test."

Claire kissed him on the lips before waving goodbye. "I'll see you later boyfriend. Can't wait to see which of us scores higher. That valedictorian spot is mine!"

The only midterms Rex had that day were in his first and third period. He was confident that he could nail the Art midterm no problem. His skills had improved greatly and he knew about the history of the different artists they studied. He was nervous about his Natural Science midterm. He knew that he kept mixing up the definitions for some of the sciences.

"Alright class, you'll have the period to finish the test. Remember to take your time and answer all the questions as clearly as possible. When your done bring it up to my desk then sit back down quietly. You may begin now."

Rex flipped his test over, holding back a whistle as he looked over the questions. For a midterm these were complicated questions. Picking up his pencil he started matching up vocab. He then got to work identifying different pictures of items related to the different earth sciences such as geology, meteorology, and physical geography. His brain started to hurt as he finished answering a few essay questions before handing in his test. He breathed a sigh of relief hoping that the other midterms wouldn't be as bad.

The Art midterm was a lot easier for him. The test portion was easy. He had a lot of fun on the creation part. He had finally gotten enough courage to submit his first inked and colored graphic novel page. Mrs. Sarver gave him an encouraging smile making him smile with pride. He was certain he was going to pass the midterm.

At lunch the friends were talking with one another. Claire was busy going over some notecards while trying to eat her mac and cheese. "So, my Sociology midterm was a challenge, but I'm pretty confident that I did excellent. At least there are no more midterms for today, but I won't rest easy until the end of the week."

"Agreed, I hope I can make it to the end without destroying anymore desks. I think this is the third time this year my desk collapsed because my shoes got caught up in the screws and I had to yank myself free. Hey Rex, what's bugging you? You still worried about midterms?"

Rex pushed his food away and stretched a bit before answering. "I was just thinking about my brother is all. Did I mention that Beverly talked to him last week at the tournament? She hacked his system without him knowing it," he whispered.

That got their attention as they scooted closer to hide their conversation. "What did she say about him? What's his hard drive have to say?" Claire whispered.

"According to her he seems like a nice guy. A bit eccentric, but he cares a lot about people. She says his eyes were full of pride watching me play. According to her hack he's got a lot of great ideas for different gadgets though some of the reasons behind them are crazy. Did you know he wants to use that hyper electromagnetic that can destroy a tank to make mango smoothies?"

"You know, I'm starting to wonder if your brother has a mental condition of some kind," Annie remarked. Rex shrugged his shoulders uncertain about that statement. "So, what is it about your brother that's got you worried? He's not allowed near you and if he does fight for custody of you, I'm sure he'll lose."

"Maybe, but the fact he wants to break up my family makes me wary of him. I know were brothers, but I just don't feel it. You know I always thought that if a member of my family showed up I'd be happy. That I would reconnect with them and I could have both my old and new family," Rex admitted sadly.

"Except it's not working out like you thought huh? Rex, we may not know your brother very well, but its obvious he loves you very much. Don't forget he's trying to catch up with the last six years. He's suppose to be twenty six not twenty remember? I think you need to give Caesar another chance. Maybe if you just talk with him maybe you can convince him not to separate you from your parents. At any rate you could learn bit more about your past," Noah told his friend. The others nodded in agreement and Rex smiled.

"Okay, I'll get in touch with him after midterms. That should give me sometime to think about what to say and where to meet."

* * *

That Friday night Caesar was late at work in his lab. He had been in touch with his lawyer taking ownership of the family ranch in Buenos Aries. If he was going to fight for custody of his little brother he intended to make sure all their family assets belonged to them. Maybe he could take his brother there once this mess was sorted out. Rex had loved that animals there; especially the bull.

A beep from his computer let him know he had an email. Confused, he opened the account surprised by what he saw waiting in his inbox, a message from his brother! He clicked it eager to read. "_Beverly and I worked together to get your email address so I thought I contact you. My friends said maybe I should try to get to know you. Can you meet me at the Haven City Bakery tomorrow afternoon around two? Mom and Dad will be at Hope and my friends agreed to cover for me so we can meet. Hope to see you there. Love your brother Rex." _

"I'll be there little brother, and this time I won't push you away," Caesar whispered as he wrote a reply. After typing the message he got to work preparing for tomorrow's meeting. Hopefully, he could get away from White Knight long enough to visit his brother. Worse case scenario he use his tech to disable the forces and go on a stroll.

* * *

The next day Rex was standing outside the bakery tapping his foot nervously. He was clutching a bag full of pastries wondering if he wasn't making a mistake. What if Caesar showed up in his pod and dragged him back to Providence? He wished he had asked Noah to observe him from a distance. He heard footsteps approaching so he looked up. "Hi, I'm a little shocked to see that you didn't take your pod here."

"I thought it would cause a panic after the last time I flew it in the city. Um, its good to see you little brother. I was surprised to get an email from you considering how we left things last time," Caesar said. He ran a hand through his thick hair trying to figure out what to say next. "What's in the bag?"

"I got some pastries for us to eat. I wasn't sure what you liked, but the bakery here has a large selection from different parts of the world. I picked up some cinnamon rolls, churros and other sweets. I thought we could go to one of my favorite places to eat them while we talk."

"Sounds like a good idea. Lead the way. So its nice to see you still have a sweet tooth. Churros were your favorite dessert growing up. Mammy use to make the best ones you've ever tasted. I remember one time when you were six you snuck inside the kitchen and ate all the fresh churros. You had a stomach ache for the rest of the day."

Rex chuckled at the story finding it amusing. When he was first adopted his parents had trouble teaching him to slow down to eat. Living on the streets meant you ate quickly as possible to avoid having your food stolen. It had taken a good two months for Six to teach him table manners. After about ten minutes of walking they arrived at their destination, a Zen Garden in the middle of a park. "I found this place about a week after we moved. I like it here, it's so peaceful and quiet. You can forget your troubles easily." Rex sat down on the porch bench overlooking the garden. He patted the seat next to him and Caesar sat down. The two brothers started to eat their pastries in silence.

Fifteen minutes later the pastries were finished. Rex played with his hands gathering the courage to speak. "I want to know more about our parents and my life before the Nanite Event. What did they look like? Where did we live? Do we have any other family alive?"

Caesar reached into the bag he'd been carrying and pulled out a small photo album. "Rylander put most our families stuff in storage after the Event. He always hoped that one day either you or I would show up to claim it. Mammy and Pappy started this album right after you were born." He blinked back tears as he and his brother looked at the photos.

Rex was entranced tracing the images of his biological parents faces. The two people in the photos were dressed in lab coats smiling happily. There were pictures of them outside a chateau or walking around Geneva. There were also a few photos of them in Mexico and Argentina. As he flipped through the images Caesar started to talk. "Mammy was born in Mexico City and Pappy in Buenos Aries. They met in college where they became good friends with Rylander. They kept in touch over the years. Around the time of my birth they had settled in a small town in Mexico. I got my basic education there before we started traveling the world. After you were born we settled in Geneva, but we go back there during the summer to visit Abuela."

"Our grandmother lives in Mexico?"

"She's not our real grandmother, just the elder of the village. She was very close to Mammy. I contacted her awhile ago. She was a bit shocked by what I had to tell her. She was happy to know that both of us were alive and invited us to visit her sometime. I don't know why, but she seemed interested in Holiday's cure guns. Oh well, maybe we can go visit her on a weekend trip?"

"Maybe, but I've got school and responsibilities here. I don't think Mom and Dad would appreciate me running off to Mexico with you, even if it was to visit adoptive family," Rex said absentminded, not paying attention to the hurt in Caesar's eyes when he said mom and dad. "Where were these photos taken?"

"The family ranch in Buenous Aires. I recently took ownership of it. I'm planning on fixing it up. Pappy and I use to do experiments there in the basement. It had its own lab where they would work on their independent projects. It was in that lab you got the scar on the back of the knee. You were playing with the robotic arm and got hurt. Pappy was so worried about you he forgot that you broke an expensive piece of equipment."

"Hmm, nice to know where that came from. So, what can you tell me about our parents personalities?"

"Dad was smart, kind, and had a sense of humor. He was very proud of his accomplishments. He was also determined and hardworking never giving up trying to find solutions to any problem. Our mom was very headstrong never backing down. She would sometimes rush into a situation if she thought she could help. She was also the most protective and caring woman in the world. She was the one who encouraged your artistic side. Pappy always hoped you follow in the family footsteps of being a scientist, but you were determined to chart your own path. Science didn't hold the same interest to you as art or sports did. You were plenty smart you just didn't want to apply yourself."

Rex cracked a smile at that. "You'll be happy to know that habit's been broken. Being home schooled by Mom means there are no breaks or slacking. I have to say high school's been a challenge, but a good one. I know I aced my trig midterm. Dad promised if I did really well he'd take me to get my license. I'm excited about that. I've practiced for ages. So, Beverly mentioned you're an inventor along with being a scientist. Was that the reason the three of you were involved with the Nanite Project? Please Caesar, if there is anything you can tell me about that I would appreciate it. I really need to know what happened and why the world is like it is."

Caesar bit his lip unsure what to say. So much of the Nanite Project was still classified. If he told his brother the whole story he might be putting him danger or alienate him further if he knew what his colleagues and him were planning. He decided to give Rex a few facts. "The Nanite Project was originally intended to create machines that could cure diseases, wipe out hunger, maybe even unite humanity. Since the three of us were experts on matters relating to nanotechnology we worked with the main group designing the nanites and developing the programming. I was in charge of inventing AIs that could assist us. I first designed a decontamination program to eliminate nanites that escaped from the tanks. I named her Zag RS and gave her Mammy's voice. At least one creation worked right. The other one Alpha, a machine to machine interface was highly unstable and dangerous. I had to get rid of it..." The young man stopped as he saw his brother still his expression full of terror. Rex started to shake terribly as he moaned. Caesar reached out to touch him, but the boy jerked away. "Mijo, what's the matter?"

"_You _created not one, but two killer AIs? Your responsible for nearly the world wide death of every living thing on the planet?" he whispered incredibly.

Caesar looked at him confused. "I don't understand, what are you talking about?"

"I'm talking about the computer program that nearly destroyed the world. You see about a year and half ago, my family stumbled across a hidden town of engineers designing a transmitter to talk with the nanites, to try to fix their programming and stop creating EVOs. That's where I met Jacob and his family. We helped them with the project being lead by a man called the Architect, but it was all a lie. He was an android designed by Zag RS to communicate on her behalf. Your decontamination program decided the best way to eliminate nanites was to kill every living thing on the planet!" Rex shouted at him startling his brother. His expression was one of fury. "If I hadn't pushed through the pain to destroy the central mainframe that program of yours would have succeed. Now your telling me that it had our mother's voice? Did you program your Alpha with Pappy's? Where is it now?"

"No, Alpha didn't have Pappy's voice and I sent him away to an empty space!"

"How can you be so sure it was empty? Mom's colleagues theorize there could be multiple universes. What if you sent it to, I don't know a prison dimension, and it comes back here? Next your going to tell me it wasn't the intention of the project to create EVOs huh?"

"Rex, please calm down. I admit that some of us on the project thought EVOs might be a possibility, especially after we'd infused you with the first batch only to develop powers. We were working to eliminate the problem when the Event occurred. I'm shocked at the wide scale spread of this, but I'm confident I can fix it. Providence may have gone a bit overboard with its treatment of EVOs. I have a proposal to suggest that we could modify the collars to take control of them forcing them to behave."

"How can you justify something like that! No one asks to be an EVO! Forcefully controlling someone against their will is wrong Caesar and if you think its okay then I'm disgusted by you. I don't know what to think of you and your methods. You're a mad scientist that's for certain; who is conveniently not telling me about what caused the Event or anything useful about the Project that could help. Why is that?" Rex demanded, his eyes narrowed.

Caesar knew his next words could make or break the situation. He had to say something to complacent his brother. "Little brother, I know your mad at me. You have every right to be. I want to tell you more about the Project, but its dangerous. The people who funded the Project, they're still out there with an agenda. I want you to be safe. Its one of the reasons I'm going to fight for custody. If your with me then I know that I can protect you."

"I can protect myself just fine Caesar. I'm not a little kid anymore. I'm capable of making my own decisions about what I think is best for me," Rex told him. He was fighting to hold back tears as he was confused by the entire meeting. He was glad to know a bit more about his parents with tidbits of his past, but at the same time how could he forgive Caesar for what he had done and what he wanted to do? If he learned Rex was still an EVO would he try to control him as well? "I have to go, I need time to think about what you've said." He turned to leave only for Caesar to grab his arm holding him gently.

"Please Rex, don't leave yet. I know that your angry and upset, but I have my reasons for not telling you the truth just yet. I want us to be a family again. I love you little brother. Its killing me inside to see you so afraid of me, that you don't want anything to do with me. Just give me a chance to prove to you I'm not the bad guy," he said, he was trying told back his own tears.

Rex looked away from him, unsure what to say or do. Finally he tugged his arm free with his back to his brother. He started to walk away, stopped, then looked back. "I'm not sure I can trust you Caesar, that's the honest truth. I want to get to know you, be brothers again, but its hard when you want to break up my family. I will tell you this. I'll give you a chance, I promise to contact you more. Maybe we can do something together, but now I need some space. Understand?"

"Yeah, at least take this with you. You deserve to have a picture of your family with you. I'll see you later." Caesar watched his brother run off wondering if things would ever go back to normal. He walked out of the garden no longer feeling at peace. "Mammy, Pappy, if your watching this please give me the strength to get through this." The only answer he could was the gentle tickling of the wind as he made his way back to Providence.


	6. Power Surge

Rex was super excited as he sang in the shower that morning. Today was the day his dad promised to take him to get his driver's license! He felt a certain thrill that he'd finally be able to legal drive any vehicle he wanted after this. He was the last one in his circle of friends to get it, but it had been worth the wait. In his world travels he'd learned to drive in numerous countries with many types of cars including stick so he was ready.

He bounded down the stairs two at a time as he raced into the kitchen. He snagged a chocolate chip muffin from off the table gobbling it down as he got out his cereal and bowl. Six, who was sitting at the table reading a newspaper, raised a single eyebrow at his son trying to hide a smirk. "Judging by your hyperactivity this morning I take it you're excited?"

"Is the sun a burning ball of gas in the sky? Don't joke around Dad, you know I've wanted my license for awhile now. Just waiting to turn sixteen was torture beyond belief!"

"I suppose it was. Still, its good to know that you spent that time wisely practicing. Driving is a serious responsibility. While it is a right of passage to many having your license means your accountable to the law in a new way. The life of everyone on the road is in your hands so you have to be careful, understand Rex?" Rex nodded his head in agreement. "Good, your mom had an emergency at Hope with one of the EVOs so she'll be back late tonight. I left Bobo in charge of the troops today so I could take you. That chimp better not be playing poker all day otherwise he's going to regret it. Well, are you ready to go?"

"Yeah, this is going to be so exciting!"

They arrived at the DMV a bit later. The place was sparsely packed. There were a few people renewing licenses or permits. A few people were waiting to get tags for their cars. There was at least one person waiting for a test. After getting his number the duo sat in the hard plastic chairs. Rex was reviewing his driver's manual as Six dubiously tried to find something to read. After about an hour his number was called. Taking a deep breath Rex put his manual away and walked up to his driving instructor.

"My name is Mavis Vermillion and I'll be your driving instructor for today. Don't look so nervous, I don't bite," the instructor said. She was a somewhat short woman with long blond hair tied back by a wing clip. Her green eyes sparkled as she gave him a warm smile reassuring him everything will be fine. After adjusting her pink suit she tapped her clipboard. "Are you ready to take your test?"

"Been ready for a long time ma'me." Ms. Vermillion nodded as she followed him outside to the parked vehicle. For the test they were going to use the family car. Ms. Vermillion checked the car to make sure it met all the requirements. "Alright, you have the plates, the lights and doors work, mirrors and tires are good. Can you please test the brakes?" Rex complied while running through his own check list. He adjusted the seat and mirror, made sure the car was in park. He strapped on his seat belt putting his hands in the right position on the steering wheel. "Your vehicle checks out just fine. Let's begin the test shall we? Back us out and take us on the road please."

"No problema, you'll be amazed by my skills!" Rex carefully pulled out of the parking space. He checked both ways on the road waiting for an opening. Signaling his intent, he merged into traffic going the speed limit. Rex remembered to drive defensively keeping a look out for other drivers. He made sure to keep the correct distance using the three-second rule.

"Alright lets begin the test. I want you to get into the right turn lane at stop light. Once you've turned right please drive forward until I say to turn again okay?"

Rex nodded, increasing his speed slightly before signaling to get into the turn lane. He tapped the brakes coming to a stop as he waited for the light to change. When it was time he performed the turn precisely as he continued driving. A few minutes later he executed a left turn flawlessly. The teen started to relax a bit as he obeyed the traffic signs yielding to other drivers.

"Good job so far, alright the next step in this test is to pass someone. Please signal your intent and proceed with the maneuver," Ms. Vermillion instructed. Rex did as he was asked checking to make sure the lane was clear. He sped up passing the car in front of him after making sure their was enough space he reentered the lane. He let a tiny breath knowing passing was one of his problem areas.

Ms. Vermillion instructed him to drive down other streets and up a hill so she could see him park. He remembered to angle the wheels the right way and pulled the emergency brake for added measure. After a few more minutes they returned to the DMV where Ms. Vermillion looked over her clipboard. "Congratulations Mr. Hayashi. You've passed your test, go inside to get your license."

"Alright yeah whose the man! Thanks Ms. Vermillion! Dad, I passed my test!" Rex was bouncing up and down with glee as reentered the building. Six smiled at his antics before reminding him to calm down. Rex filled out what was needed and let his photo be taken. A few minutes later he was strutting out to the car adoring his new license. Six glanced at the piece of plastic noticing something that made him pause in his tracks. "So your Rex Salazar-Hayashi now?"

"Oh, I just thought I should have both last names incase something happens is all. Besides, it feels good to honor my birth family you know?"

"I certainly do. Come on let's go show your mom. I'm sure she'll be thrilled." So the father and son duo made their way to Hope thrilled by how today went.

* * *

It was a few days later. The Gears had assembled in the auxiliary base. Beverly was busy on the computer system lost in her own little world as she did her biggest hack yet. Since the return of Caesar, the Gears were more determined than ever to learn the truth about the Nanite Project and Rex's past. They were also concerned for the future. The younger Holiday was using her feminine charms on the elder Salazar to get close to him to learn more about the Project. Although if she was honest with herself she found Caesar to be a handsome, intellectual, if not eccentric young man who made her heart skip a beat or two.

"Your good at AI development Caesar, but I have yet to meet a system I couldn't hack. Now if I can just combine the data I've gathered from all the different sources, and open the super restricted files on White Knights drive that might help. Oh Circe, why couldn't you have managed to gain access to Van Kliess system. Ugh, this is testing all my skills as hacker, but I won't give up!" Beverly said to herself.

The other Gears were in the lounge area. They had set up a clear white board to form a flow chart of information. Bobo had joined the group and was munching on treats as the kids wrote down what they knew so far on the board. It wasn't much, but it was helpful to see the information. "Okay kiddies, what have you learned so far about the event and the kid's past?"

"Okay, from what we know from our sources the Nanite Project was started about a year and half before the Event in Abysus," Noah began as he drew a circle around Nanite Project. He drew a line then a box under it. He wrote the names of the scientists on the project in it. "So we know besides the low-level assistants, lab techs, and maintenance crew there was a core group of scientists responsible for the development of the Project."

Claire got up taking the marker. She drew an oval above the circle writing Consortium in it then a line connecting it the bubble. She then drew a line from the oval in the shape of a triangle and another line from the bubble into a second triangle with a few short sentences written in. "So we know that the Consortium funded the project, but not what their motives were. Rylander mentioned power, but that's ambiguous at best. Caesar indicated the scientists involved with the project believed they were developing technology to heal injuries and somehow unite humanity. That was their goal. Is there anything else we know that can go on the left side of the board?"

"Does struggling to figure out how to make the nanites work with a host count?" Annie asked innocently. She snagged a snack bar from Bobo opening the wrapper as she continued. "Rex, you told us originally Caesar believed that machine to machine interface was needed to get the nanites to work in a host, but scraped it when it went all psycho right?"

Rex nodded leaning back on the couch. "Yeah, others in the main group believed that human to machine interface was necessary. From what Circe read in Van Kliess journal they tested their theory on me after my accident which led to Rylander developing the Omega. But there's a four month gap between my infusion and the Event itself according the journal entries. Also, we don't know what great power Van Kliess was referring to or who the lady was that he said was there on Consortium orders."

"Kid's right, whatever the power was those mad genius must have stumbled across it during the development. Still how does that lead to an explosion and the kid's memory wipe? Not that I'm ungrateful for the nanites turning me into an EVO, but I'm guessing unprogrammed nanites causing massive random mutations in the population in varying intervals wasn't on their mind," Bobo added. The others nodded in agreement as they used the middle of the board to write what they knew about the nanites and present circumstances.

Rex got up, grabbed the marker drawing three circles connected to boxes on the right side. In the top he wrote Consortium, the second Providence, third Van Kliess. "Alright, what do we know about our enemies and their plans? We don't know the original goal of the Consortium, but Rylander and my bro seem to think they're still around. Powerful people who are subtly influencing the world in an attempt to regain control of the nanites for themselves correct? So they must be after the great power."

"Providence's goal is to capture EVOs, either to contain them or kill them. They want to rid the world of EVOs and find a way to shut down the nanites for good. At least on the surface. Beverly's hacking into White Knight's files seems to indicate all of Dr. Fell's experiments might not be for a cure, but to find something else," Claire mentioned.

"Lastly, we know Van Kliess wants to rule the world with humans as slaves. He seems to believe that mysterious power combined with Rex will give him just that. Ugh, unless we know what that power is or how it relates to Rex and the Event we'll never figure this out!" Noah whined in frustration. A shout of joy was heard through the doorway followed by an announcement from Beverly.

"Guys, I finally cracked the mystery! I'm calling sis and Six. What I've discovered is a game changer! You won't believe what I've stumbled across!" Half an hour later everyone was assembled in the command center, the clear board wheeled next to the wall of TVs which were muted. Everyone was waiting anxiously as Beverly pulled up all the data on her screens.

"So, what has your hacking uncovered little sister? Should I be worried about Providence knocking down our doors?" Holiday asked concern. Both she and her husband noticed a subtle shift of power going on at Providence. White Knight hadn't been calling on them very often and the sharing of data had crept towards a halt.

"Please, with Rex's technopathy safe guarding our computer system you don't have to worry about that sis. It may have taken me a few months to pull the bits out of the cyber wasteland while bypassing well coded firewalls, but I have finally compiled all the data on the Nanite Project and the goals of our enemies; at the very least what Salazar might be up to."

"Enough chit chat Beverly, proceed with the mission debriefing," Six said. His tone left no room for play. Beverly straightened up in her chair highlighting one screen. A few photos appeared. One was a picture of a group of scientist, most likely the Nanite Team. The other appeared to be a grainy image of several men sitting at a table, but for some reason was unable to be cleared up.

"Alright the picture here is from White Knight's private files. As we suspected one of the sponsors funding Providence is the Consortium, the major one. They are the board of directors. I tried getting their names, but all I got were code numbers. The pasty must keep the knowledge in his head. What is private files revealed along with the floating bits I recovered was shocking." The teen pressed a button, the pictures disappeared bringing up reports and memos. She highlighted relevant material.

"The Consortium funded this project for non altruistic reasons. They wanted immortality and power beyond belief, but that wasn't known to the scientists at the time. It took a long time to develop the nanites; making sure they would function correctly and would respond to a host. About six months before the event they started to stumble across a coding program that when used with special nanites could tap into unbelievable power. They nicknamed it the dominion code because it would give someone god like powers."

They all stiffened at the thought of such a thing. A power like that would definitely be worth searching for. "How does that relate to me? Did they infuse me with this code?"

Beverly shook her head. "The Meta Nanites or master control nanites, were only in the design state at that time. They were still trying to figure out a way to test the human to machine interface before constructing these powerful nanites let alone program them for human use. I stumbled across a ominous email that was sent to the lady mentioned in VK's journal. No picture available, but from what I gather she had some intellect and was a mercenary. She was ordered to cause an accident to test the first batch of nanites to see if they would work as promised."

All of their jaws hit the floor at that. Suddenly, it made sense. If you were going to test a product do it on the least valuable member of your party. Who better than a small child of a pair of your lead scientists? The emotional factor alone would push them to succeed. Rex trembled as he released he was an unwitting guinea pig for them to use. Holiday and Six hugged their son trying to reassure him it was alright, but inside he was wondering if Caesar had been aware of his "accident" not being an accident. After all the journal entries indicated they had run tests on him, seeing what kind of powers a person could develop, how nanite networks functioned, overall how to keep a host's mind intact.

Noah interrupted his friend's musing by asking a question. "Was Rex the only test subject? How does this relate to the Meta Nanites or the Event itself?" he asked. All the Gears were a bit shaken up.

"From what I gathered three months before the Event the lady, identified as BK, was used as another test subject along with two low level techs. She survived the process and the others didn't. It was during this time the Meta Nanites were coming into creation. There were five on them which respectfully controlled; gravity, matter/antimatter, space-time, energy, and mechanics. You need all five together to make the code work."

"All those tests performed by Caesar on me and BK helped map out how use the nanites properly. I'm a living blueprint as the first EVO to how the user interface should work and how to program them correctly. If you had the Dominion Code along with the right interface you could control all the nanites in the world making you a god over everything on the planet. How could they develop something so dangerous?"

"Science has given us many great wonders, but there will always be those who would twist it to their own needs. What happened to these Meta Nanites? Where are they now?" Holiday asked. Beverly brought up a picture of five strangely colored nanites along with a hazy video footage she had taken from Caesar's system. They watched as it appeared that the Salazar family plotted something. There were few broken clips of them in different places pressing buttons and running for their lives as they tried to escape.

"So instead of shutting down or destroying the Meta Nanites they decided to scatter them across the globe by creating a cascading replication cycle, knowing they were putting the world at risk. On the one hand I can understand the need to keep the power out of the hands of evil, but on the other it was downright reckless and unnecessary," Six stated, he looked at his son who was trying to hold it together. He wondered if his biological parents had taken measures to ensure the survival of their child even if they couldn't make it out.

"A massive explosion of nanites in the midst of a chaotic replication cycle, fully unprogrammed with no interface properties built in would explain the high numbers of EVOs at the start. The process has slowed down as they learn and share one another, but a number of factors still trigger mutations. In the midst of all this chaos it seems Providence was just formed to deal with the crises. What if they were looking for the Meta Nanites? Think about it, it would make sense to why Providence's mandate is what is," Claire pointed out.

Beverly nodded in agreement bringing up more files and test results. Providence wasn't just trying to figure out how to undo the nanites. "Fell's research shows a consistent pattern of locking onto specific biometric signals during dissections. Unknown to him, while he tried to reverse engineer a cure to EVOs he was actually helping them develop a ping to locate the Meta Nanites. If Providence gets them who knows what they'll do, that is if the Consortium doesn't steal them first."

Annie shot up in her seat falling over as she just piece together something. "Oh, Van Kliess must believe since Rex was the first EVO he could be used to find the Meta Nanites! Think about it Rex, your willpower is strong enough to turn off the active nanite signal to fool sensors. If he had you in his control your abilities could help him gain control over the Meta Nanites, especially if he pushed your powers beyond their limits."

"That's a terrifying thought, the kid a perfect little slave. So what's his brother's involvement in all this? What's he and the rest of their party up to?"

"I think I know the answer to that," Rex said in a flat tone of voice. "Caesar wants to fix his problem by controlling EVOs. If he controls EVOs then he can figure out how to prevent out of control EVOs, possibly make the nanites work as intend. But if he does that then solves the problem of the EVOS yet leaves the way open for the Meta Nanites to be used without fear. I can't believe he kept this from me, that I helped him do this. My biological family put the world at risk because someone thought I was expandable. I can't deal with this right now, I need to get out of here!" They tried to stop him but he took off running exiting the base through the main doors. He was so upset he couldn't form a build so he just kept running down the streets trying to hold back tears. He was so confused and upset.

* * *

He came to rest next to a bus stop. He pulled out his phone calling Circe disregarding the risk involved with that. "Circe, I need to see you now. I just learned something horrible about my past. I'm so confused and upset. Please, I need to see you in person even if it means coming to Abysus."

"Rex, it's to dangerous! You can't come here..." Rex didn't hear the rest of the conversation. The hair on the back of his neck stood on ends. He felt a strange sensation as something transported him from the bus stop to a castle in the middle of a destroyed region. He barely had time to comprehend what had happened when someone struck him in the back of the head knocking him out.

* * *

He didn't know how much time passed until his eyes fluttered open, but when they did he woke up to a killer headache. He tried to sit up only to discover he was strapped down in a capsule. His heart raced as he struggled to break free. Someone tapped on the glass in front of him to get his attention. He looked up surprised to see Van Kliess with the Pack standing behind him. "What the heck?"

"Hello Rex its good to see you again. Let me be the first to welcome you home to Abysus. I know its been awhile since you lived here and that you don't recall it, but in time I'm sure you'll build new memories."

"Grr, what's going on you long haired hippie? Why did you bring me here and what am I doing in this capsule? Circe, please talk to me!" The monitor attached to the capsule started beeping erratically to show how scared he was. He could feel his nanites growing more agitated wanting to be used, but he forced himself to calm down. He needed to be smart about this. Now wasn't the time to reveal his powers.

Circe opened her mouth wanting to speak, but closed it when Van Kliess raised his gauntlet. "Now Rex, don't be mad at her, she only did what was asked of her. As I recall you wanted to see Circe, you were even willing to come here weren't you? I overheard you on the phone. You learned something horrible about your past? I'm surprised that Caesar would say anything about the project, but then again your clever enough to fill in the blanks of what he did and didn't say. If you wanted the truth about your past all you had to do was come here sooner. I would gladly share what I know about you free of charge."

The boy struggled further trying to get a little wiggle room, but his restraints wouldn't budge. Outside the capsule, the Pack with the other inhabitants of Abysus, were prepping the lab equipment for the upcoming procedure. Van Kliess smiled as the tanks were filled with the stolen chemicals and the equipment checked over to avoid any annoying power surges like last time. "Now now don't struggle, I wouldn't want you to hurt yourself. It might cause you pain during the procedure."

"Its bad enough Caesar wanted to experiment on me thinking I was an EVO, but what's your angle in all this? I thought you wanted to protect EVOs from the dangers of the world. What would you want with a mere human like me? If its access to my mom's cure guns I'm sure I could have lent you a couple. Wait, did you say procedure? What kind of procedure?"

"So many questions, you're as curious as ever aren't you little Rex? Tell you what, let's do a little quick pro quo, shall we? You answer some of my questions and I'll be happy to answer yours. Circe, please stop standing around and finish setting up the equipment. You'll have time to chat with your boyfriend later," Van Kliess said as he looked over at her. Circe looked like she wanted to argue, but instead did as she was told. She had to keep her head down a bit longer if she wanted to help her friend.

Van Kliess turned to his prisoner clasping his hands behind his back as he rocked back and forth. "Now, let's see. What is the horrible truth you learned that's got you so upset?"

"Finding out my family is directly responsible for the Nanite Event and I'm the reason for it all. Caesar talked about me being an EVO and a guide to how to make the nanites work with a host. That I was nothing more than an experiment that resulted in my parents trying to shut down the project only end up dead in the explosion. That if I was an EVO I used up all my powers to survive the Event resulting in a complete memory wipe. That my brother wants to work towards completing the project and further experiment on me without regard to my feelings. Is that enough reasons to be upset and confused?"

"Plenty my boy, your parents I can't fault for using the first batch of nanites to save your life. That's what parents do after all, but it was your brother's eagerness to test your newfound abilities that eventually led up to the Event. Do you know what your powers were?"

Rex shook his head not willing to risk opening his mouth and say something by accident. "Well you developed a high level of technopathy. You could control machines by just touching them, some of us including myself, believed at times you were actually hearing the nanites themselves after you had a trance like spell. Are you aware of your nanites abilities to turn off and on?" Rex nodded his head. "Ah, no doubt your brilliant mother discovered that. From looking over the data on the cure guns she must have tried to copy that function onto unprogrammed nanites with limited success. Still its an accomplishment worthy of recognition."

"Master, the equipment is finished being set up. The chemicals have all been properly mixed and the nanites added. We're ready to begin when you are," Biowulf said kneeling next to Van Kliess.

"This is going to be so much fun. If this works then we'll be next right Master?" Skalamander asked.

"Perhaps, we'll just have to wait and see how our new friend responds to the procedure. Ah, I did promise to explain why I brought you to my lab didn't I? I'm sure that Circe mentioned I have the ability to create EVOs yes? Its true, but I can't always control exactly what I want to happen. Also keeping sanity while installing loyalty is a hit or miss. So, I've repurposed some of the Evolution Machine for that purpose."

"Your going to turn me into an EVO?"

"My boy you already were one, I just am turning back on what you turned off. Tests indicate you used up all their power to survive the Event and since then have used willpower to keep normal. I'm simply restoring the natural balance, but don't fret. Your powers won't be limited to technopathy. I plan to evolve you into something like this," Van Kliess said, showing him an image of robot like being causing him to whimper. "If it bothers you that much I'll arrange for you to revert to your human form so you and Ms. Warren can still pursue romantic overtures, but your first loyalty will be to me. Once this procedure is started your body will readjust to being an EVO. The chemicals the Pack stole will alter your mind. Oh, don't worry I'll leave your memories intact I'm simply ensuring your loyalty to the Abysus and me. You will be one of my elite Pack members."

"Why, why do this to me? I'm happy as I am."

"Being normal is overrated, I'm granting you power and greatness. You can finally be with your girlfriend all the time. Once you help us gain a great power you can use it to hurt the ones who threatened your happiness. Don't tell me you haven't been wanting to make Caesar and Providence pay? Both have threatened your happy home life so why not use the gifts blessed to you to take what rightfully belongs to you? I see more words aren't having much of an effect, but trust me Rex once this over everything will be in clarity. Begin the procedure, I want him at level one with in fifteen minutes so I can force his evolution to its peak!" Van Kliess commanded.

The sounds of machines turning on and the sloshing of chemicals being pumped echoed through the lap. The canulla pierced his skin. Rex was desperate to escape, trying to activate a build, but the gas pumping into the container was messing with his nervous system and brain function. He could barely think let alone move. In mere moments his already activate nanites would be supercharged then evolved until he wasn't himself. He couldn't let that happen! "Please, someone anyone help me, please."

_"Be calm my grandson, I'll take over for now," _ One's voice whispered in his head. The tattoo over Rex's heart glowed brightly. The citizens of Abysus were confused as something strange started to occur. According to the monitors the nanites were reacting to a secondary program installed in them, a data transfer of sort, taking over.

"What in the world? Could it actually be possible?" Van Kliess wondered just as the capsules monitors went wild. With an inhuman roar Rex tore off the restraints on his legs kicking them upward hard. The glass shattered as he tore off the other restraints landing on the ground in a defensive stand. "Restrain the boy now, but don't causing any permanent injuries. I need him alive and well!"

A large snake-like EVO hissed slithering at inhuman speed, its sharp fangs coming down for the strike. Rex jumped over its head tossing a large piece of glass at its head piercing one of its extra eyes. The creature screeched going after the child as he flipped over and over its body before stomping hard on its tail. Yellow good erupted from the crushed body part as the EVO withered in pain.

Two tord EVOs hopped towards him, their tongues lashed out wrapping around his wrists. They started to pull him towards him, but he dug his feet in and spun around hurling the EVOs into some of the equipment damaging it. He spun around dodging left and right as a Larvus spat hardening good at him. He caught it by one of its leg, breaking another two. It thrashed around trying to injure him, but he shoved it off having it roll into the control council causing it to spark. A medium size scorthius snapped its deadly bulb at him. Rex jumped, spun around the tail and pulled off the tail leaving blood. Pinpoint strikes with his fists disabled it.

His heart was racing, energy was low as he started battling Breach, Skalamander, and Biowulf, at once. He brought up his arms blocking the claw strikes. He pushed Biowulf back, ducked under Skalamander's crystal claw and side stepped Breach's portal. He needed space as he darted apart as he avoided their attacks. He flipped over Skalamander landing on his back. He put him in choke hold causing the EVO to thrash into Breach knocking her over. Rex moved out of the way to avoid being struck by Biowulf. Pushing off the EVO, he grabbed more broken glass shards flinging them like shrukien injuring the EVOs.

Rex was panting hard his energy spent. He started to fall only to be lifted up by Van Kliess vines holding him a tight squeeze. "Fascinating. So your mother's theory on data transfer from different nanite networks is true. I knew your father had taken you to say goodbye to your grandfather. To think he was able to download all his skills and abilities into you during his death, and that you can access it is fascinating. I look forward to us working together. I was hoping to make you loyal and adjusted first, but if I have to evolve you now and do that later, then so be it." There was nothing he could do as those sharp gold points came towards him.

"Leave him alone!" Circe shouted activating her mouth sending a sonic blast straight at the man. Van Kliess let loose a howl, his plants dropping Rex to the floor where Circe ran over to him. She helped him to her feet glaring at the man. He looked at her with anger in his eyes. "Circe, I didn't expect this from you. If you give the boy back to me your punishment won't be as severe."

"I won't let you hurt Rex anymore! Consider this my resignation from the Pack!" She let loose another sonic blast bringing part of the lab down. The tanks containing the chemical blew as they spilled all over the floor. Machines sparked and sputtered getting damaged. Chunks of the ceiling started to fall as she dragged the tired teen out of the room and down the halls.

"Circe..what about the mission? How..could.. you? What about..."

"Hush, I've been prepared to leave since they brought you here. I know I shouldn't have broken cover, but I can't stand by and let you get hurt. Let's go, my four-wheel is prepped outside. Hopefully we can get out of here before they recover," she whispered. She lugged him through the castle outside through a secret tunnel her new friend Bannock had created for her. Her four-wheel was waiting as she managed to get Rex on the back. She reved the engine darting through the wastelands towards the border. She was almost there when Breach popped up causing her to stall the engine. "Move out of the way Breach! I don't care what you do to me, but I won't let Van Kliess have Rex!"

"Shiny is sick and best friend is very slick? You're leaving me behind aren't you? I thought we were friends. The three of us are friends aren't we?" Breach asked in her sing song voice.

Rex lifted his head looking at Breach. "We are friends Breach, but I can't stay in Abysus. I have a life with my family. All the answers to my past aren't worth it if I'm not with them."

Breach giggled then used one her massive hands to flip something to Circe. Circe caught it going pale. It was the bug she planted in Breach's room. "You know what this is? Does anyone else know about them?"

"No, they don't my best friend. Van Kliess doesn't control me and Biowulf and Skalamander aren't nice to me. I want to help my BFF and her shiny for all the nice things you did for me. You spy on the boys for Hope? To help find a cure for us? To make world save for everyone? I can do that!"

The two looked at her as if she was crazy and she might be. Could they trust her? "Why should we trust you not to sell us out to Van Kliess?"

"We're BFF and friends help friends. You stopped him from using that machine to hurt me. He wanted to make me a portal through time, now he can't. I promise to help my friends and in turn we can play some more sometime?" The two Gears nodded shaking her hand. Breach agreed to let them rough her up a bit so it looked like they over powered her before driving through a portal to Haven City. Circe used her com to get ahold of Rex's parents letting them know she was coming in with an injured boy. She hoped that she hadn't made a mistake blowing cover or trusting Breach to be the new spy.

* * *

The little family decided to keep Rex home for a week to give him a chance to recover from his ordeal. Circe was staying at the auxiliary base for now, but they needed to figure out a better home situation for her soon. What really worried Holiday was that Caesar would use this incident against them as proof they were unfit to care for Rex. While she was unaware of her son communication with his brother she was certain somehow Caesar would learn of what happened. Six tried to point out that even Providence had been breached by Van Kliess so there would be no reason to think their son would be safer with his brother there then at home; especially since the incident took place when Rex had run off into the city.

The relationship between Hope and Providence was beyond strained. Something big was happening at Providence HQ, but they didn't know what exactly. White Knight hadn't contacted them for some time about joint operations. They hadn't been able to share findings with the Nanite group, but had learned Fell had been fired and stripped beyond recognition. They also noticed a new breed of Providence agents showing up at different locations dressed all in black. They didn't know what it all meant, but everyone at Hope from the engineers to the Gears were concerned that Providence was going to be more trouble.

It wouldn't be until another week and half passed that they learned what was going on. Holiday and Six were in the main lab at Hope when they received a video call from Providence. When they established the link they were shocked to see a woman in black staring back at them. Both Six and her eyes widened before narrowing at one another. Holiday could feel the tension between the two of them so she decided to break it. "Hello, my name is Rebecca Holiday. I'm in charge of Hope. We were expecting a call from White Knight. May I ask where he is and who you are?"

"White Knight has been "retired" by the Board of Directors. My name is Black Knight and I'm in charge now," she responded in a clipped tone of voice. "It's a pleasure to be talking with the head of Hope. I've heard wonderful things about you and the work you do Ms. Holiday."

"It's actually Mrs. Holiday Hayashi. This is my husband Six."

"I know; we're old acquaintances aren't we Six?"

"If you could call it that _Black Knight._ I'm surprised that Providence would hire someone such as yourself to run their operation, but then again Providence has made unusual calls in the past. I assume you took care of White Knight when you forced him to retire?" Six asked calmly. Outside he was the picture of calm, but inside a growing anger and fear was taking place.

Black Knight waved her hand dismissively. "Don't be like that, I assure you White Knight is someone out there wearing his protective suit to avoid being reinfected. He did an admirable job, but the Board believes that a new kind of leader is needed to fulfill our mandate is all. I was actually calling because I was reading over your agreement with White Knight."

"If your planning on changing it or forcing us to work with Providence at a more in depth level I assure you we won't comply. Hope has done a lot of good work in the past few months. We have no intention of folding our operation or bowing to Providence."

When Black Knight smiled it sent shivers down Holiday's spine. Something about the woman scared her badly. "Rest assured, I have no intentions of forcing your operation to shut down or making you Providence's lackeys. Unlike White Knight I believe in sharing our resources to solve the crises. We all have the same goal don't we?" She tapped a few keys and they heard a fax machine turn on. "I just sent a new proposal for a beneficial agreement. I understand you are in need of a few more advance vehicles which I'd be happy to supply. I'm willing to even set up joint meetings with the Nanite team to discuss findings and search for a cure. I also think joint training sessions between our troops would help us cover more EVO incidents. I have to say I'm also intrigued by your cure guns. I love to know more about them and your ideas for dealing with EVOs. I've given the green light for Caesar Salazar to move forward with his control collars, but I'm not against other methods for controlling EVOs. Think about all the good we can accomplish."

Holiday frowned suspicious of Black Knight's offer. She had collected the fax looking over the proposal with a sharp eye. "We'll have to review the proposal and discuss it with our staff. We'd like to see this new Providence in action before making such a big decision."

Black Knight nodded. "Of course take your time, there's no need to rush. I would like to extend an invitation for you and your son to tour our facilities to see our upgrade operation. Mr. Salazar has informed me about the unique situation with your son. He has my full support in his fight to get custody of his brother you should know. However, I'm also willing to see if the situation needs changing at all. Perhaps a visitation arrangement could be met to avoid a messy hearing?"

"We'll get back to you on that. Thank you for contacting us we'll be in touch," Six said disconnecting the connection. Holiday looked at him questioningly, but he ignored her as he made a secure connection with a private line. Within seconds White Knight appeared on the screen in his suit. He appeared to be in a bunker of some sort. "I heard you've been replaced by a woman calling herself Black Knight."

"I figured you know how to get in touch with me once you heard the news," White Knight responded in a dry tone of voice. "The Board wasn't pleased with my recent actions. They felt I was losing control of the situation with the nanites. I was highly skeptical of having the Nanite Team restart their project even if it was to get rid of this blasted plague. I had no idea they would sick their favorite mercenary on me. I barely escaped with my life."

"Black Knight's a mercenary? Did you know her from before?" Holiday asked in wonder. In her mind she was already piecing together the connection between the woman and Van Kliess journal entries. If the Consortium was truly the Board of Providence directors then it would make sense they hire her to run their operations again.

Six nodded as he split the monitor in half. He brought up an Interpole file for both of them to see. "Her real name is Blake Knightstone. She's a ruthless, manipulative, and down right dangerous individual. At one point she attempted to join our group by either becoming number Seven or taking us out. One defeated her declaring her to be unworthy of being a student of his. She may have been dangerous, but she had no empathy or compassion for others. Even Dos at his worse wouldn't abandon our family if he could save our lives."

"I'm surprised your father didn't kill her, but then again leaving her alive is the ultimate humiliation for a mercenary of her standing. Six, I need your help."

"If it's a place to stay we can put you up in Hope..."

"No, I need to break back into Providence," White Knight interrupted. He continued speaking over them. "There's another reason the Board got rid of me. I refused to hand over a power to them, one I discovered right before my tenure as the leader of Providence."

Holiday brought her hand to her lips as she figure out what he found. "You discovered a Meta Nanite and kept hidden in Providence all this time? How, where, why didn't you destroy it?"

"I don't have to answer those questions. All you need to know is that if I don't retrieve that nanite the world could doomed. I need Hope to join forces with those still loyal to me. I'll take Providence by storm to keep that nanite out of enemy hands. Can I count on you?"

"We can't risk an assault on Providence White. If arrested our son would be given to his brother. We'd never see him again," Six stated to him. Before White could start ranting Six cleared his throat and straightened his tie. "However, we might be able to pull off a distraction of sorts. Give us a few days to plan something and we'll get back to you. Be safe old friend." He turned off the monitor before looking at Holiday. "Assemble the Gears. We've got a mission to plan."

* * *

Two hours later the team was assembled along with Bobo. Everyone listened closely as Six explained the situation. They were shocked by the news that a Meta Nanite was found. Knowing the damage it could cause they had to get in for themselves, that meant stealing it from White Knight after he stole it from Providence.

"Exactly how do you expect us to pull this off? Providence is one of the most fortified institutes in the world. Even with our power suits and weapons its going to be hard sneak into let alone get out. Rex and I barely made it out of Abysus which isn't a cake walk. Going into the heart of our enemy is near suicidal."

"Its a risk we have to take," Claire pointed out. "That Meta Nanite is too dangerous to leave in anyone else hands. I've looked into the design concept in my free time. It appears that just as you need all five nanites to activate the code, you need all five to shut them down for good. With one Meta Nanite we can create a device to find the others."

"Still doesn't help us get in undetected. Hey Beverly, can you use your mad hacking skills to let us in?" Annie wanted to know.

"I'm locked out of Providence. Black Knight upgraded their systems and I'm having difficulty bypassing the firewalls. I could reestablish a back door into the mainframe, but I have to be pretty close to central computer, the Hive, so to speak. Once inside Providence I can sync up my tablet, with their systems. It would be easier if I had someone's pass code to fool the security so it doesn't think I'm a threat."

"Okay, so that option isn't viable. So what are we going to do?" Annie asked.

"Simple we walk through the front door," Rex whispered. They all glanced at him wondering what he was thinking. Rex let out a chuckle before continuing. "Black Knight offered to let my family tour the facility right? Caesar's been bugging me for awhile to come see him in his home. So why not take him up on the offer? My family with Beverly could walk through the front door. Once inside I can discreetly use my technopathy to disable the internal sensors. The rest of you could then sneak in." His suggestion was sound though his parents weren't happy he'd been communicating with Caesar without their knowledge.

Noah nodded his head in agreement. "Good idea, Beverly can use her feminine wits on Caesar. He'll be so busy flirting he won't notice her using him to gain access to the system. Meanwhile Annie can sabotage the building and garage to slow down Providence hunt for the Meta Nanites. Claire and Circe can copy the research data while tagging agents for monitoring purposes. I'll stick to White Knight like glue. Once he has the Meta Nanite I'll swoop in to get it."

"Won't Black Knight be suspicious of the timing? She could detain them if she suspects something," Circe pointed out.

"Leave that to me girl. Bobo has been known to cause trouble where I go. I'll make sure to have some of my EVO buddies crash the party. You'll see Providence and pasty won't know what hit them. Its going to be the party of the century I promise!" With that they all nodded knowing that this was one mission they couldn't afford to mess up.

* * *

A few days later the little family found themselves standing just outside Providence's entrance. Everyone was on edge, they had run the training scenario several times, but now they were about to enact it. The other Gears were on stand by just outside the garage door. They knew White Knight and his followers were going to hit the building in half an hour. They had to be in position to steal the Meta Nanite when the opportunity presented itself.

Rex was anxious for an entire different reason. Providence scared him deeply. This was the organization that would have left him to rot on the streets or worse turn him into a weapon if they discovered his abilities. He didn't trust Black Knight knowing she was most likely the one responsible for his "accident". Her reasons for supporting Caesar's custody case were not altruistic, she had a ulterier motive. Still, he was looking forward to seeing Caesar in person again. Their emails had been short, but friendly.

The doors to Providence opened bringing Rex out of his musings. Six men in black armed to the teeth walked out flanking Black Knight. Caesar was by her side smiling happily. "Rex! I'm so glad to see you again!" His brother rushed up hugging him tightly. Rex returned the hug trying to ignore a buzzing in the back of his head. Something about Black Knight's men wasn't right.

"Hello Rex, its nice to meet you in person again. You've grown since the last time I saw you," Black Knight said cordially. "Mrs. Holiday-Hayashi, Six, a pleasure as always. Whose this young lady?"

"Beverly Holiday ma'me. I'm Rebecca's younger sister. I thought I come along today to see what Providence is like. Not many people have seen the inside before. Your tech is amazing among other things." The young lady gave Caesar a flirtatious smile that caused him to blush a bit before he started leading them through the door.

Upon entering the facility Holiday and Six noticed the differences immediately. The harsh lightning and bleak white walls were softer, warmer and more welcoming. Background music played through the speakers. The bathrooms, cafeteria, and living quarters seemed to have been updated with a mix luxury and warmth. They had just entered the garage when they set the plan in motion. While Black Knight was describing the new vehicles they got and the upgrades; Rex made is way over towards a personal transport when he tripped falling towards the wall. He banged himself up pretty bad, but his body covered his hands as he used his technopathy. He ordered the internal sensors to shut off, but act like they were still on.

"Mijo! Are you okay? You need to be more careful baby brother. I guess your still a bit accident prone huh?" Caesar laughed. Rex nodded, looking past him. He saw a garage door lift up just a bit before closing again. The Gears were in. "So, why don't I show you my rooms before we head up to the lab huh?"

"Okay, I guess that would be fine." A few minutes later they were in the private wing for the Nanite Team. Each of them had their own private quarters and a lab with all the equipment they needed to work on their projects individually. Caesar's quarters were messy, clothes on the ground and the bed unmade. Bits and pieces from different inventions were strewn around the room. The older man was slightly embarrassed he forgot to clean up so he quickly closed the door. He opened the door to the room next to his revealing a small, but comfortable bedroom. The color scheme was orange and black, there were pictures of different countries on the wall. A small desk filled with art supplies was along one wall. There was also a flat screen and game console at the end of the room next to a small private bath. "Whose room is this?"

"It's your room Rex, if you decide to come live with your brother. I strive to make Providence a welcoming place for all my employees family members. I hope that the bedroom meets your satisfaction. I've also taken the liberty of setting up some training programs and building a sports court in the gym for you. New Providence isn't the same place you've been told about," Black Knight told him placing a hand on his shoulder. Her touch sent shivers down his spine. He gently maneuvered out of her grip.

"It's yet to be determined if Rex will be living here or visiting Caesar. We're still not convinced that your so called New Providence is healthy enviroment," Six said. He knew what kind of person Black Knight was. She was hiding something behind her mask of kindness.

"I assure you Six, that this place is not only secure, but very healthy for the people living in here." Her comlink chirped as she pressed the button in her ear. She listened for a few minutes before nodding. "I have some business to attend to. My Pawns will be happy to escort you for the rest of the tour. I'll be in my office if you need anything." Turning on her heels she marched away.

* * *

While the pawns were leading the group to the lab, the Gears were fast at work. Chaos was currently under a truck in the garage draining it of the oil. Once that was down she slid across the floor hiding behind the rear of a tank. A patrol of regular agents walked past heading for the break room. Letting out a sigh of relief she pulled out some tools from her kit making her way to the engine of the tank. "Let's see how well you run without spark plugs or other engine bits. Finally my clumsiness comes in handy. I love sabotaging the fleet. Hey App, how's your part of the mission going?"

"I'll tell you in a minute, ouch, whoa stop that ah. Finally!" App had finally finished bypassing the security around the archive containing the relevent data on the Nanite Project. With no direct access to the Hive she had to use this secondary hub to obtain the data on the nanites. Using the device Spyder gave her she started to download the data reviewing it. "Providence has held out on some vital knowledge on different types of nanites. I'm altering the data, erasing parts of it. This research will help Hope out tremendously. I'm done, I'll meet you up at the reindiview point. Siren, how's the tagging mission going? Have you gotten any of Black Knight's pawns?"

Siren, who was using the camouflage feature to look like a regular Providence agents, had been strolling through the halls on a search and tag mission. Six had provided her with a list of targets to tag. So far she managed to get almost everyone on her list. Siren was approaching her target walking side by side with him. "Good afternoon sir. Pleasant day isn't it?" The Pawn ignored her hurrying past her towards Black Knight's office. "What's the rush buddy? I didn't hear anything," she said grabbing his hand. The Pawn jerked out of her grip pushing her to the floor. "Was that really necessary?"

The Pawn ignored her hurrying off leaving Siren alone. Collecting herself off the floor she linked up with the rest of the group. "This is Siren, something's off with the Pawns. When I tried to tag one I felt a strange power surge."

"Could it have been from the uniform?" App asked.

"No, and according to my sensor readings the Pawns aren't giving off any heat signatures or bio readings. If I have to wager a bet I think they're sophisticated androids programmed to be loyal to Black Knight. No doubt Caesar programmed their AI matrix." Another strike against Caesar. When would that guy learn? Suddenly the entire base shook as there were explosions. A quick x-ray scan revealed White Knight's squad making their way through the Kings Roadway. Wingman had already infiltrated the tunnels making sure to stay out of the way.

"This is Wingman, I've spotted White Knight and I'm in pursuit. I'll let you know when the target is sight. Bobo, be ready to unleash the gnasht."

* * *

When the alarms went off the building was put in lock down the Hayashi's had been in the lab. Holiday had argued with Caesar about the treatment of EVOs by using collars to control them against treating them humanely or curing them. Six had talked with Rylander and Meechum trying to learn more about Caesar and new Providence. When the lock down happened the lab was divided in half separating the adults from the teens and Caesar.

"_¿Cuál es el nombre de Dios está pasando ahora? Me dan un segundo bebé hermano, Beverly. Voy a tener una respuesta en ningún momento._" Caesar said switching to Spanish without realizing it. Rex and Beverly shared a look. As he backed into the control module for the collars she moved closer to Caesar.

"What happened? What caused the lockdown?"

"We've got intruders making their way throughout the building. They must have caused a minor systems disruption with the system. I'm attempting to gain access to the security tapes to find out more, but I'm being locked out. I'll have to reboot it and hope the connection is reestablished," Caesar said typing in his pass code.

"Let me help, I'm pretty good at getting bugs out of the system," Beverly suggested. With Caesar distracted she managed to use his pass code to form a wi-fi link into the system. It was touch and go, but just as the system rebooted she managed to program back door access. Hiding her tablet she turned around brushing a hand through her hair. "We've established temporary access to the security feeds through here. It appears that someone is trying to access something from your boss's office. Can you bring up the feed?"

"No footage is still down and the sensors are in operable. I'm going to try to use the schematics to figure a way out of this room. Maybe I can find an override. Are you okay Rex?"

"I'm fine, just a little scared. I thought you said Providence would be a safe place. So far your home doesn't feel all that safe." He was confused for a second as his brother put a reassuring hand on him telling him it would be fine. That nothing was going to happen to him.

* * *

Meanwhile Wingman was hugging the wall watching the fight between the two Knights. They were making a mess of the hidden tunnels and he was barely avoiding being hit. Pressing his comlink he contacted Bobo. "Release the ghnasts now! Send them into the tunnels! I'll take the Meta Nanite in the confusion."

"Time for Bobo to party hardy! Run free my little friends! Crash the party!" Ten minutes later the sounds of screeching, roars, and bellows could be heard. The two combantants stopped their fight as they watched in disbelief as the EVOs tore through the tunnels.

"What in the world? How did those filthy beasts get in here!" White Knight demanded.

"I don't really care right now, give me back that Meta Nanite!" Black Knight shouted. She pulled out an energy whip flicking it around the container. Jerking hard the container came flying towards her. A clean laser blast followed by smoke bomb disoriented her greatly. Both Knights tried to clear the smoke away to find the container only to discover it missing when the smoke cleared. At the far end of the corridor they saw Wingman running away. They gave chase both wanting that Meta Nanite. "Return that Meta Nanite at once!"

"I won't let some punk kids steal such a valuable piece of tech!" White Knight yelled firing a mini missle

Wingman ducked, rolling over to a side panel. Activating the interface he ordered the tunnels to dump White Knight outside with the rest of his men. Black Knight was shot back up through the tunnels into the Petting Zoo landing in Mo's pond where she had to swim away fast because of the malfunctioning collar. Placing a small sensor cloak on the container he met up with the other Gears just outside Providence where their rides were waiting. With Bobo leading the local EVOs on a rampage they easily slipped away.

It took about two hours to reestablish order. Black Knight refused to comment at what happened. She did look at the family suspiciously demanding if they were responsible in anyway for what happened. They answered honestly they weren't. Black Knight had nothing on them so she had to release them. Her proposal for working together was rejected until it could be renegotiated. Caesar was heart broken at how bad the visit had been, but Rex assured him it was fine. He would be in touch more with school ending soon. For the Gears and Hope it had been one successful mission.

* * *

The last two weeks of school was a lot of activity. There were finals to take, lockers to clean out, and of course signing yearbooks. Rex really had enjoyed his experience even if he'd only enjoyed a semester of school. He was looking forward to his summer break. It would give him more time to figure out how he felt about his brother and this whole custody situation. What really was important now was to find the other Meta Nanites. Right now the Meta Nanite was in a high security vault under a cloaking field to keep it from being detected. His mom and aunt were trying to figure a way to use it to track down the other Meta Nanites, but no luck so far.

"I love the last day of school! Its nothing, but fun! Can you believe everything that's happened this year to us?" Noah asked as they finally left school. The final bell had rung as kids rushed out to have fun. There were shouts about parties and people's vacations. It was a blast.

"I can't believe we're going to be seniors next year. Its going to be amazing. Think about all the classes and opportunities opened to us," Annie exclaimed.

"I can't wait to start sending out applications for colleges. Oh its going to be so much fun. I can't decide where I want to go," Claire said.

"I wonder if I'll even be attending school here next year," Rex muttered. The others looked at him frowning. They had forgotten about Rex's home situation at the moment. "Sorry, I shouldn't be dragging you guys down. We should get going. Circe wanted to meet us at the Karokee club after school. She's glad to finally be let out of Hope."

"It can't be much fun living in the building with only Bobo for company at times. Besides once were all together you can tell us about that surprise you've been hinting about all week. I hope its something really good," Noah told his friend. He was hoping it was something cool like tickets to a Trendbender concert. The girls hoped it would be something exciting like newly upgraded power suits. They would just have to wait.

When they got to the club they saw Beverly sitting at a table. She had finished her year that day too selling back her books for a bit of profit. She had volunteered to keep an eye on Circe to make sure that Van Kliess didn't go after her in retribution for what she did. The man hadn't retaliated yet. According to Breach, who actually kept her promise and was spying for them, Van Kliess was to busy trying to figure out a way to retrieve the power source under the castle, though she was certain he still wanted Rex by his side while making Circe pay for her betrayal.

"Nice of you to join us. You're just in time Circe next. I was surprised she wanted to come to a place like this on her first non mission day out, but then again singing relaxes her. I wonder what song she picked?" Beverly mused as the kids sat at the table. They all watched as Circe glided on the stage selecting a song before turning to face her audience. She had a wide smile on her face as she took the mike.

"This song is dedicated to my BFFs. We've been through a lot this year; it seems as if our troubles will never end. Still, I know there's one thing that will get us through all the problems we'll ever face," she said. The lyrics to the song popped up on the screen as she began to sing Carrie Underwood's, "So Small."

_" What you got if you ain't got love?_

_The kind that you just wanna give away_

_It's okay to open up_

_Go ahead and let the light shine through_

_I know it's hard on a rainy day_

_You wanna shut the world out_

_And just be left alone_

_But don't run out on your faith_

_'Cause sometimes that mountain you've been climbing_

_Is just a grain of sand_

_And what you've been out there searching for forever_

_Is in your hands_

_And when you figure out_

_Love is all that matters after all_

_It sure makes everything else_

_Seem so small_

_It's so easy to get lost inside_

_A problem that seems so big at the time_

_It's like a river that's so wide_

_It swallows you whole_

_While you're sitting around thinking 'bout what you can't change_

_And worrying about all the wrong things_

_Time's flying by, moving so fast_

_You better make it count 'cause you can't get it back_

_Sometimes that mountain you've been climbing_

_Is just a grain of sand_

_And what you've been out there searching for forever_

_Is in your hands_

_Oh, and when you figure out_

_Love is all that matters after all_

_It sure makes everything else_

_Seem so small_

_Sometimes that mountain you've been climbing_

_Is just a grain of sand_

_And what you've been out there searching for forever_

_Is in your hands_

_And then you figure out_

_Love is all that matters after all_

_It sure makes everything else_

_Oh, it sure makes everything else_

_Seem so small."_

They all clapped their hands and pumped their fists. Circe took a bow setting the mike back in the stand. She hopped off the stage scurrying over to her friends. She hugged Rex tightly as Noah pulled out a seat for her. "I haven't had that much fun in some time. Normally I don't sing country, but I felt the song fit our situation. We do have a lot of problems, but as long as we stick together as a family, one of love, I think we'll be okay." The others murmured in agreement. This is what made the Gears didn't then any group. Their love would see them through. "So, what's the big surprise Rex."

"We're going on vacation; all of us! My parents are taking time off so we can take a trip to Hong Kong. We'll be meeting up with my uncles and aunt to see how their doing. After that we can enjoy the sights and have so much fun! Just think two weeks in Hong Kong before we have to come home. I bet it will be a fantastic adventure; I promise!" Rex said. As the others joined in the celebration they didn't know how much of an adventure it would be for all of them.


	7. Backup

The trip to Hong Kong went without trouble. The kids were super excited having never been out of the country before. They couldn't wait to explore the city and have some fun. They had all read up about the numerous tourist attractions and cultural activities they could take part in. They would have to stick close together considering that Hong Kong was one of the most densely populated cities in the world, but at least there were going to be signs in both Chinese and English. Rex was both anxious and excited. Hong Kong had mixed memories for him as he recalled living on the streets for nearly two weeks before he came across his parents. He remembered how hard it was trying to survive. Then he recalled how much fun he had exploring the city with his new parents as the paperwork on his adoption was finalized. Returning here after six years would be an adventure for sure.

Holiday and Six also had mixed feelings about returning here. This was the place they started their relationship and more importantly their family. The city had a lot of good memories, but at the same time they had to be wary. Providence had a major presence in the city as they worked to rid it of the EVO underground. The mobster Quarry was still around according to reports and more dangerous than ever. Six knew that was part of the reason his siblings would be in the city. They had contacted him needing his help on the mission agreeing to meet with the group in three days time. Taking down a criminal empire was hard work even for the most dangerous people on the planet. They would need time to surveillance the mob and plan a strategy for eliminating them.

Their plane touched down a little after lunch time. As the group left the airport taking the bus to the hotel they couldn't help, but be stunned by the mix of Eastern and Western influence. The kids were scrambling over one another taking pictures and pointing out interesting sights. They couldn't get enough of the views. As they disembarked they began arguing about what they should do first. There room was on the "non-existent" fourth floor which was labeled five. The had booked three rooms: one for the parents, one for Rex and Noah, and the last for the girls. The rooms were large with comfy beds, pristine bathrooms, and Feng Shui elements making it a comfortable room. After they finished unpacking they met up in the adult room.

"Alright, I know your all excited, but you need to remember to be on your best behavior. We're in a foreign country with different rules and laws. It's also heavily populated with an active criminal element. I don't want anyone going off on their own is that understood?"

"Chill sis, were not babies you know. We'll stick together." Holiday gave her sister a warning look causing her to shrink back a bit. "Alright, I get it safety at all times. But can we please get going? I want to go hiking already or maybe go play mahjong against some of the elderly. What, I can't like outdoor activities because I'm a computer geek?" Beverly asked defensively when she got some strange looks.

"I want to go to the Cantonese Opera house or the performing arts centers. You haven't lived until you've seen a traditional opera with all its acrobatics and singing combined together!" Circe exclaimed. She was reading a guide book about all the local opera houses trying to pick one to go to.

"Forget the opera; Hong Kong is shopping center number one! We can buy so many cute clothes at bargain prices! Maybe even sample the local culture by listening to some Cantopop or going to an arcade center. They have some of the latest arcade games in the world!" Claire proclaimed excitedly.

"I just want to eat all the food. I can just taste the mouth-watering delights like pineapple buns," Annie said licking her lips.

"They have martial art classes outside and tours of local tv stations. That sounds like fun to me. What about you Rex, what are you looking forward to?" Noah asked.

"I'm going to pick up the latest in mangas and comics here. Hong Kong has one the most diverse media publishing centers in the world."

A piercing whistle nearly blew their ear drums. After regaining their hearing they turned to face Six who tilted his shades down so they could see his eyes. That was never a good sign. "Ahem, I understand that you want to immerse yourself in pleasure, but please try to remember we're here for two weeks. There is plenty of time to enjoy yourselves. However, I do want to remind you to be on your guard. Providence is heavily immersed in the area. Use your best judgment if you see trouble occurring. There is no need to involve ourselves with the local problems at this time. That might change when my siblings arrive in three days until then enjoy yourselves. For today we'll spend it together and tomorrow we'll split into smaller groups for fun. Shall we go?"

* * *

The first activity the group did was go hiking along the extensive trails in one of the parks. The landscape was beautiful and well tended to. Beverly surprised everyone by setting the pace as they walked around the park enjoying the sights. They saw people playing Chinese Checkers and their were outdoor classes of people doing martial arts. The kids took advantage joining in for some added practice. Claire and Circe benefited the most as their two styles, Tai Chi and Praying Mantis, were being done.

After they left the park they decided to do a little shopping. They hit one of the major districts. It was amazing the diversity of different stores. Tailors that could make custom suits in a matter of days, bookstores selling manga, and of course the music and anime places were pit stops. Holiday spent time admiring the antiques before purchasing a few authentic pieces for their home. Six wanted to get some new weapons, but was talked out of it for the time being.

Later for dinner they went to a traditional outdoor restaurant where they remembered to bring their own napkins. Annie loved tasting the different types of fish, vegetables, and sweets. She surprised herself by not having a single bad luck incident the whole meal, a record for her. Afterwards they went to the opera house to enjoy a Mou style (war) play. Circe was in heaven as she took it all in. The traditional make up and beautiful costumes were a sight to behold. She also enjoyed explaining the different roles to Rex while explaining the significance of hair styles, music, and speech patterns for the different actors. It was a wonderful experience for everyone as they continued to talk about later that night.

* * *

The next three days passed quickly as the group enjoyed themselves immensely. Every day they went out and did something different. The teens were the most excited enjoying the beaches or having fun at arcades. Holiday and Six went out on romantic dates to the movie theater or even the gambling halls to test their luck. It was hard to believe that so much fun could come crashing down on top of them.

They were returning to the hotel after a long day of sightseeing. They were heading into the parents room to watch a drama together when something attacked them. Faster than the eye could see Six had his blades out blocking an incoming strike. Holiday whirled around deflecting a punch that came her way. The Gears sprang into action trying to defend themselves as they were attacked by two unseen foes. Rex got knocked into a wall activating his technopathy on instinct. Instantly the room was flooded with light revealing the intruders. "_Tia_ Five and _Tios_ Dos, Trey, and IV? What are you doing attacking us in our hotel rooms? Do you want us to get kicked out?"

"Sorry about that love, but Dos insisted on seeing if your team was as good as your dad proclaimed. Got to say I'm impressed by your response times kiddies," Five replied as she strapped her guitar behind her. By the looks of things the other members of The Six had been there for awhile if Trey munching on room service was any indication. IV just took a seat next to the window as Dos apologized for their actions though that didn't save him from getting kicked in the shins by an angry Holiday. The kids giggled as they took their seats. It wasn't often the second most dangerous man in the world got caught off guard.

"I was aware of your arrival today, but you could have a least had the decency to call first. I assume you'll be paying for the room service and damages incurred?"

"Oi, don't be such a sour puss Six, I thought you were on vacation. Live a little and don't worry about the small stuff no?" Trey laughed a bit. "We'll pay the money, we're not the most honest folks, but we don't skip out on family right?"

A ringtone was heard as Circe scrambled to get her phone out. She looked at the caller ID frowning a bit. "Excuse me, I have to take this. Carry on," she said entering the bathroom locking the door behind her. The others looked at her surprised wondering what was going on. Everyone was quiet for a few minutes until Noah broke the ice.

"So what are the most dangerous people on the planet doing in Hong Kong? Rex said we were meeting up with you, but something tells me your not on vacation. What's up? Do you need our help with something?"

"Tch like you little kids could help us with anything," IV muttered under his breath.

"They have helped save the day a few times and gone toe to toe with some of most dangerous EVOs and organizations in the world. If anyone can help on a mission its them. I assume your surveillance mission on Quarry's empire revealed some interesting facts," Six commented watching his wife and son stiffen up hearing the man's name. "It's a well known fact that Quarry employes only EVOs and has attempted to expand his empire beyond Hong Kong boarders. Providence, Interpol, and the Hong Kong police have tried to take him down for a while now with no results. I've reviewed the file on his abilities, resources, and any advance weaponry. Has any of that changed in the last week?"

"See for yourself Six, the man is nearly as dangerous as us. He's not above sacrificing everyone to obtain his objectives. We managed to take out some low level thugs. Actually managed to use your wife's cure guns with some success. The thugs chose jail over Quarry. Seems he'll kill you for being cured," Dos said handing over the folder. The other numbers handed over files for the group to look at. Beverly scanned the documents into her tablet creating a power point presentation that she projected onto the wall.

The images showed the numbers in different situations trying to make a dent in the network. There were lists of thugs ranging from low level fronts to some lieutenants, but they still hadn't managed to get close enough to take out Quarry. Rex eyes narrowed as focused on some images of EVOs collared with stolen Providence tech. His eyes lingered on the picture of three teens, their eyes were wide and full of anger, fury, but mostly defiance. As he touched the picture a spark of energy went up his hand. "Ouch!"

"Hey Rex, are you okay? You look like you got zapped, but how is that possible?" Annie asked confused. How could a projection zap him? "Do you know those three?"

"No I don't, but something about that image. Even though it's just an image it's almost as if I can hear their nanites," he whispered. The others were shocked, they knew Rex could talk with machines, but to hear nanites from a photo? That was something new. "Those three, they're not like other EVOs. They're trying to resist the mind control with all their power. Look into their eyes can't you tell?"

Claire and Holiday did take a close look at the images. They noticed in the different photos those three eyes changed from normal colors to pure white then back. Looking at their body language and the images of them using their powers, they calculated that the three teens weren't fighting as full strength. They were holding back. "Rex is right, these three teens are different. I think they're like Rex and Circe. Fully sane and in control of their powers, but most likely incurable. The saner humans EVOs tend to be incurables for some reason."

"Enough about the kids already, what does any of that have to do with taking out Quarry? Our mission was to put an end to his criminal empire, not save some street kids from being controlled," IV pointed out.

"Why can't you do both? I thought you father wanted you to start using your powers to be heroes, not just mercenaries. I think three kids who can mostly resist Caesar's prototype control collars could be good students to train," Beverly shot back. It looked it would be a brawl when Circe exited the bathroom using her mouth to reign the people in. "Dang it, do you have to do that? My ears can't take much more of that!"

"Sorry, but I just got some disturbing news that might be related to this case. Dos, when your group was investigating Quarry did you come across a theft of highly dangerous experimental molecular destabilizer weapon?" Circe asked with concern. The elderly gentlemen frowned a bit shaking his head slightly.

"We knew that he was robbing Providence field groups, using the collars to gain slaves, but we didn't know about that theft. It must have been part of his big plan that the lowlies mentioned. _¿Qué tan peligroso es el arma? ¿Qué tipo de amenaza que plantea a nosotros?"_

Thankfully being Rex's girlfriend meant she had a decent understanding of Spanish. "Very bad and dangerous. I just got off the phone with Breach. Don't worry, she used a phone in the restaurant in that serves EVOs. According to her, the Pack was supposed to recruit Quarry as an ally for Van Kliess. VK planned to use the molecular destabalizer to break through that wall of nanites to the Meta Nanite."

"Let me guess, Quarry betrayed them? A machine like that could take out a building and kill a person in seconds. Its to dangerous for a mobster like Quarry to have. It needs to be destroyed," Beverly said darkly.

"Don't forget we can't let those EVOs stay slaves. If Rex's brother collects the data on those things he'll have all he needs to perfect the control units. EVOs everywhere will be nothing more then slaves or worse cannon fodder in the search for the Meta Nanites. We can't let that happen," Claire added.

The Gears nodded and looked at the other members of The Six. They were talking amongst themselves. Their primary objective was to take out Quarry while eliminating his empire. It would be easier to slaughter everyone, but their father's words echoed in their minds. They had agreed to try to be heroes and helping three kids would be a start.

"So, what do you have in mind? How are we going to handle this one?" Five asked.

"Simple, it's a three-part mission. One, we do a massive cure of the empire leaving Quarry without an army. Next, we free those kids while destroying their collars. Lastly we take out Quarry. I know we didn't plan to do a mission on vacation, but this can't wait. Everyone in?" They all nodded in agreement. Everyone was actually looking thrilled at the thought of taking down a mobster empire and saving some kids.

* * *

Two hours later they were suited up including Holiday and Six. Six had donned his old armored up look while Holiday wore the Hope field agent suit. It looked like Providence's except the color scheme was blue and gray. It also was more comfortable and flexible. She was carrying her blaster, two cure guns and even a knife strapped to her boot. Everyone else also had two cure guns on them. While Rex would be curing most of the army by hand they also felt it was important to keep up the illusion of the cure guns without revealing their true power source.

The two groups were hiding on a rooftop across the street from a bunch of buildings owned by Quarry. According to the sensor scans from the Gears the central building contained hundreds of EVOs all armed to the teeth with a variety of weapons. They took note of areas of the building that might contain traps or hidden dangers. A quick WI-fi hook up also revealed that Providence was nearby no doubt trying to find their stolen technology. If they got caught up in this mess it would be a blood bath.

"Are you able to determine if the targets are in the building with your fancy suits?" Dos demanded. He and the other numbers were ready to get started. It was going to be difficult to work with the Gears because of their different styles of fighting. Also Six had given them an ultimantium. No killing unless necessary. They were here to try to become something better and killing wouldn't help them.

"Using my scanners with sis' biometric readings we've been able to identify at least fifty different EVOs including the one you're looking for. Quarry is on the top floor surrounded by a bunch of guards. Heat signatures indicate he's got the weapon strapped to him."

"What about the three teens? Are they in the building?" Generator asked urgently.

Spyder nodded, showing him her scanner. She had isolated three biometric signals in the basement of the central building surrounded by other signatures. Generator closed his eyes reaching out with his technopathy trying to connect with the teens nanites. His eyes glowed white under his lids as he opened them. "I'm hearing their nanites, they're in a lot of pain. They've been fighting to resist the influence of the collars and are losing strength. If we don't do something soon the nanites will succumb to programming leaving those teens virtual slaves."

"It's freaky how you do that kid. So do you all remember the plan?" IV asked. Everyone nodded their heads. "Good, because I'm not in the mood to repeat it. Let's get this mission going all ready." Using his bandages he swung over to the building next to the central one with Five and Trey. Joining them by using the power suits biomuscle amplification were Spyder and Chaos. There mission was to rescue the teens from the basement while destroying the Providence technology. They were Group A.

Holiday, Wingman, and App got ready to charge the front door. They were assigned to take out as many of Quarry's men as possible. Once the teens had been rescued Group A would join Group B. Six had been hesitant to let his wife face off against so many criminals, but she knew how to hold her own after being married to him for so many years.

Group C had the most dangerous mission. Generator and Siren would attempt to destroy the molecular destablizer while Six and Dos battled Quarry. The objective was to take him in, but if they couldn't then break him into tiny bits of rubble. The teens were sweating on the inside, but they wouldn't show it. They held their position as they waited for the signal to begin.

* * *

Holiday's group approached the doors in stealth mood. They hugged the building staying out of the street lights and the cameras. They slipped through the door making their way through the building. Using the butt of their weapons they knocked out some of the guards dragging them to the closet. A quick fire from the cure gun and all of them were normal humans as they locked the door. Once they were sure they cleared the first floor they made their way up the stairs to the next.

Wingman and App followed Holiday's lead. They crept through the halls being careful not to bump into any of the soldiers as they went. App took out a syringe with a powerful sedative. She was about to jab it into the neck of an EVO, who resembled a lump of flesh with beady eyes and sharp teeth, when he turned around hitting her like a ton of bricks. "Intruders! We've got intruders here! They're using a cloaking tech!" he shouted. Apparently his eyes could see they way the light refracted around her.

"Dang it, guess the stealth part of the mission is over," App said as Wingman and Holiday decloacked. Pulling out her gun she set in for wide range spread firing it. The EVOs didn't know what hit them as they froze in their tracks before returning to normal. Ducking behind a structure to avoid gunfire she got the next cartridge ready. With adrenaline pumping she rolled out from her hiding place firing rounds up the stairs and at her attackers as they came after her. Soon more humans were on the ground unconscious. She emptied her first gun then holster it as she got out her naginata twirling it around. She needed to save the second gun's charges for later. Right now she had to charge into battle.

Wingman did a spin kick followed up by two hooks before powering through the onslaught of EVOs. Guns were being fired as his cowl let out a warning. Without the power suits help he would have been shot multiple times. Instead he returned fire with his laser rifle taking out the elevator in a single shot. Someone grabbed his gun wrapping a thick tongue around his neck. He struggled trying to get air in when his cure gun discharged under the pressure. The EVO reverted to human as he slammed his gun into his chest. "That was disgusting. We've got to keep moving up! The more criminals we take out the better!"

"Agreed! On my count, one, two, three!" Holiday fired her blaster nailing all of the remaining men on the floor. She rushed the stairs with the teens as they made their way up the floor. Using all the training Six ever put her through she used her hand to hand combat skills disarming several men of their weapons, stabbing them in critical areas with her knife, and using the cure guns to take out the masses. The two Gears followed her lead as they managed to take two more floors.

* * *

While this had been going on the rescue team had sprung into action. Chaos used a flash bomb from her bag of tricks to blind the guards. She mirrored the moves of the other guards getting behind them to use her taser. Jumping backwards she avoided gun fire returning it with her stun blaster nailing three thugs. Someone grabbed her from behind squeezing the life out of her. It was a humanoid snake EVO hissing in her ear. "I'll enjoy snacking on you pretty thing."

"No...you...won't!" She squirmed around thrashing so much the guy tripped over a table skidding across the furniture. His grip lessened as she turned the cure gun around blasting him. The man let out strangle cry before reverting into a scrawny teenager. She kicked him with the heel of her boot. "Get a life pervert."

Spyder, with her back covered by the numbers, ran over to the high tech security cage. Inside three teens were on the ground in agony, their collars tightening around them as they were being zapped by electricity. Pressing her hand on the cage door she used her interface to open it. Two human bat EVOs dropped from the ceiling coming after her. She covered up her face as she was flung into the bars. One of the EVOs started clawing at her tearing at her suit. It was repairing itself as fast as it could, but those claws still struck skin. Throwing a bolo punch she managed to hit the guy in the nose before jabbing him with her tonfa. Pushing off the ground she managed to throw the guy off her. She was unsteady on her feet waiting for the man to attack her when Five came to her rescue bludgeoning the man on the head with her guitar. "Thanks."

"Don't mention it love, now how about we save these kids?" The two of them knelt next to the girl who resembled a human insect. She was clawing at her collar trying to pull it off. Five pinned her to the ground as Spyder pulled out a device from her belt pouch. "Settle down girl, they'll be a chance to rock once we get that nasty collar off. What's your name?"

"Ugh Cricket ahhhh! Please help Tuck and Skwydd, they're in worse shape then I am ahhhhhhhhhhh!" Cricket used her legs to kick Five high into the air. The most dangerous woman on the planet used the momentum to go into a flip before landing right next to girl again. "That was a rush you bloody girl. I like you a lot! Can't you get those collars off?"

"What do you think I've been trying to do, play minesweeper? Ugh, this stupid collar isn't responding to any signals I send to it! I can't hack the frequency!" Spyder moaned in frustration. They others joined them after finishing cleaning up the trash.

"We've got to get moving now. Your friend just told us that Holiday and the others are trapped on the seventh floor in need of some major back up. What's the hold up?" IV demanded.

"Collar won't come off. Can't find the frequency."

"You want me to just rip them off? I think I can do that just fine."

"NO! AHHHHHH! You try to tamper with the collar ahhh it will blow up. A special feature ahh Quarry added to ensure our loyalty," Skwydd shouted.

"We've been trying to use our powers to free ourselves, but we can't seem to force them off," Tuck added, he was sweating a storm and his eyes filled with tears. IV wanted to suggest leaving them, but Five gave him a look that threatened pain. He promised to help these teens and she was going to make bloody sure he did.

"If its frequency you need then let me do some jamming. I'll hit the right chord," Five said. She started jamming on her guitar going through a serious of different chords. The music was building up causing the collars to spark and sizzle. Finally she hit a high C in four by four chord when the collars fell to the ground in smoking. "That's what I call a rocking good show!" She held out her hand helping Cricket up. IV helped Tuck out their bandages joining together as Trey laughed as Chaos pushed Skywwd to his feet.

"You look like fresh sushi man, me like that. You have any other cool powers boyo?" In response he got sprayed in the face with ink. Wiping it off he was laughing. "That's a neat trick. I think I'll take you on as my trainee. Any objections?"

"Hold on, what are you talking about? Who are you and what do you want with us?" Skywwd demanded angrily. After being made a virtual slave for weeks he wasn't about to be someone else's patsy.

"It's a long story, but just know the Gears and The Six want to help you. We came to rescue you at a great personal risk for ourselves. You can trust us," Chaos said. A beeping on her arm had her activating the holocomputer. It showed a map of the outside with several trucks heading their way. "Providence finally tracked down the collars homing signal. They're going to be here in a matter of minutes. We can't let them retrieve this stuff."

Spyder nodded. "Five, IV? How would you like to test your new apprentices out? Slow down Providence as much as you can. I'll stay here to destroy the equipment. Chaos, you, Trey, and Skywwd go help the others. Try to finish with the thugs as fast as possible. Generator and the others will need all the help they can against Quarry."

"Whoa, you're taking on Quarry? Are you guys insane? He's too powerful!" Tuck protested.

"Not for the most dangerous people on the planet he isn't. Are you a coward kid or do you want to get payback for what was done to you?" IV asked. Tuck nodded his bandage arms getting super sharp. Cricket looked ready to spring into action as she held out her hand for Five. The four of them took off busting through the basement window to slow down Providence. Trey decided to take the direct approach busting through the floors with his metal fists. He started climbing up the floors carrying Chaos who was giving the EVO boy lovestruck looks. Ignoring all that Spyder got to work on destroying Providence's tech.

* * *

The battle on the top floor had been going on for some time. Generator had burst in the top floor flying on his Boogie Pack carrying Siren in his arms while Six and Dos hung onto the grappling lines. They swung off them brandishing their weapons as they jumped into the middle of the fray. It was fascinating to watch the two brothers fight back to back. Six was slicing weapons and taking out men with ease. Dos, remembering his promise to be somewhat merciful, stuck with severely maiming the mobsters instead of outright killing them.

Flying overhead Siren fired the cure guns at the enforcers. Her aim was perfect as she nailed whole groups of the men causing them to faint once they reverted. Those who managed to avoid being hit fired their weapons at the duo. Generator banked to the side as Siren pulled out her rope dart. Twirling it with ease she wrapped it around a support beam swinging to the floor. She placed it back on her side as she was rushed by enforcers. Getting into her battle stance she held her grounds they got close before striking back. She lashed out with her foot smashing the mobsters gun in half. Whirling around she used a low kick breaking another guy's foot. She danced around using hooked arms to attack three more. Four more EVOs, these one looking like feral boars on two legs, surrounded her grunting. Their tusks were shinning as they got ready to charge.

Generator deactivated his Boogie back forming his Punk Busters and Smack Hands. He landed on top of one so hard he went through the floor all the way to the basement. Twirling his Smack Hands he smashed two more into a wall. The fourth leaped on top of him, the tusks tearing into the suit. A sonic blast from Siren had the monster twitching in pain. Demorphing his hand he cured him right there. Siren helped him to his feet, "Thanks."

"Your welcome, but all cure guns are spent. We're going to have to make our way through with just you."

"Bring it!" The two teen EVOs raced into the fray. Both used their martial arts to disable their opponents before Generator cured them. Siren's powers were being pushed to their limits calling the enforcers closer before using her rope dart to take them out of the game. Six and Dos cleaned up the last of the enforcers. The four of them approached Quarry warily. Throughout the battle the man had simply sat in throne on the dais watching as his men were taken out one by one. You think he was almost bored by the incident. Still now wasn't the time to lower their guard. He had the molecular destabalizer strapped to him and even without it he was one tough EVO.

"I thought I recognized you. Your that punk merc from six years ago that cost me an eye and a powerful lieutenant. I see you brought the kid with you for what payback?"

Six's mouth was a thin line as he spoke. "This mission is simply about disposing of a threat to the people of Hong Kong. There are many who wish to see you gone, I'm just here to help out."

"What are you going to do cure me? Ha I'm incurable and invulnerable. None of your little weapons can hurt me. Oh little tart don't even think about using your voice to try to control me. Ears like granite so I'm not effected at all by your little songbird voice."

"There are many ways to tear a mountain to pieces. We'll just have to find one that works. _Prepararse para morir monstruo por el problema de las minas y mi hermano!"_ Brandishing his cane he fired the laser as Six jumped up and over intending to bring down his swords on his target. Quarry some how disconnected his wrist firing it like a missile at Six. The man was formed an X with his blade calling up the discarded guns to block the fist. He landed on his feet swords slashing as he tried to get close only for the other hand to come at him. Six slashed and sliced the air breaking the fists into smaller pieces.

Dos tried to help his brother by darting in close firing his laser. Quarry laughed disconnecting a leg that followed the man. Waiting for it to hit he struck it down with his cane. He was about to blast it to smithereens when it spun around striking him hard in the ankle. He grimaced as the other leg came out of nowhere aiming for his head. Siren's rope dart snapped in the air wrapping tightly around whirling it towards her. She used a strike to split the limb in two. Spinning around she used her rope dart to latch on a pipe pulling it free. Hot steam billowed out as Dos broke free. The steam didn't stop the limb but made harder to move. Out of the corner of her eye she spotted her boyfriend using the hands for materiel for the Slam Cannon firing them at Quarry's head only for all the limbs to reattach themselves with no problems.

"This has been entertaining, but now you four are going to die for messing up my empire. Say goodbye!" Quarry fired the molecular destablizer point blank range at Siren and Dos. They didn't have a chance to move. There was blinding light and a hum. Opening their eyes Generator was hovering in the air on his new Sky Slide build while using another new build, the Block Party gauntlets to form force fields. "Your not going to hurt my family on my watch."

"You stupid punk you think your machines can save you? Try this!" Quarry fired another blast that was blocked and deflected. Generator could feel the Omega replacing his nanites as they were being eaten up by the stray shots of green energy. Skimming through the air he clapped his hands together forming a giant protective dome over all four of them. As he flew closer the dome moved with the other in it trailing. Finally the dome shattered mere feet from the mobster. "Looks like your little toys broke."

"Not all of them, now!" Siren blasted him with a full sonic blast changing the frequency as she went trying to find the one that blew up inorganic material. Generator dove down forming his BFS on Quarry's blind side. The man turned to deal with him firing another blast, but the teen merely dodged. Dos appeared slamming his cane into the middle of the destablizer causing it to spark and fizzle. With hard twist the device split in half. Angrily Quarry tossed the harness off going after Dos, but Six with his newly acid coated blades protected his brother bringing the blades together causing a miniature crack to form down then up. Generator and Dose made similar cuts as the man tried to furiously lay a hand on them, but they were moving out of the way. Finally with his body barely holding it together Siren found the right frequincy blasting him into little pieces. They bagged them up in special cages to prevent reconstruction. Hearing a chirp in their ears they knew they needed to bail.

* * *

When Providence and the police arrived half an hour later what they saw shocked them. All the stolen Providence tech was dismantled with the memory wiped. Their own vehicles had suffer greatly after an assault by four individuals including two teen EVOs. The building was riddle with debris, holes, and busted structures with former EVOs littering the building. On the top floor they found Quarry, mouth practically stitched shut with concrete in a variety of special cages. On one they found a note. "Cleaned up the streets of Hong Kong. Your welcome, the Gears and The Numbers."

* * *

Back in the hotel rooms everyone was destressing after the mission. They had to sneak the three EVO teens into the room to avoid detection. The three street kids were in a bit of shock at everything going on. They couldn't believe that the most dangerous people on the planet had rescued them or that the Gears were teens, two of them EVOs hiding their nature from the world. They listened in disbelief as the Five, IV, and Trey explained why they wanted them as their new apprentices/kids.

"This is a bit hard to take in. Yesterday we were slaves to the biggest criminal element in Hong Kong. Today we've been rescued and you are asking us if we want to train and live with you? I'm having a hard time accepting this," Cricket whispered.

"How do we know this isn't some sort of trap? You've admit your mercenaries who only saved us because of your nephew's pleads. Why should we accept your offer? You going to hunt us down and kill us if we say no?" Skywwd demanded paranoid as ever. He didn't survive on the streets this long by being stupid.

"Boyo, we may have saved you on whim of our nephew, but you've grown on Trey in a short amount of time. I think your skills are most impressive. The way you managed to smoke those enforces out was cool no? You're a hardy sea food treat you know?"

"Honestly Trey, comparing him to seafood? You're a bloke. As we explained, our late father's last request was that we use our skills to become heroes. He asked us to find someone to train and love, like our dear brother Six. Its bloody hard for us to change our ways. We're so use to being dangerous that the thought of domestication and mentoring is scary. Still, I have to admit to myself at least that I've warmed up to the idea. Cricket, you remind me so much of myself before One found me. If I can be half the mentor to you as he was to me, I know I'll make him proud. Besides we rock stars have to stick together right?"

"Never thought I see someone use bandages as well as me. It seems we're meant to work together don't you think so Tuck?" IV asked the mummy teen. The three kids still looked skeptical and nervous. They were unsure what to say. It had been a long time since any adults had acknowledge or cared about them. The chance to train to become real heroes was tempting, but still how could they trust them if they were mercenaries? How were they any better than Quarry.

Rex, seeing their hesitation, decide to speak up. "Hey, I know what's it's like to not trust adults. I lived on the streets for four months trying to survive while hiding my powers. I was lucky mine could be hidden. It's obvious you guys struggled more than I ever did. Being on your own has made you stronger, I can see that. Still, I can't tell you how grateful I was when my parents took me in despite my powers. I found a place where I belonged with people who accepted me. My _tia _and _tios_ are scary people I'm not denying that. Nor am I denying that part of the reason they want to mentor you is because of your powers. Trust me though when I say they generally care about you. It takes a lot to impress them. Why wouldn't they want you to be their apprentices? This is your chance to be something more then you ever dreamed possible."

"Rex is right. The way you held your own and resisted the collars? That's pretty cool. We've been discussing the possibility of a back up team for the Gears. I think you three would be perfect for the job," Noah said. The other teens nodded in agreement smiling at them encouragingly. The three teens whispered to another in hushed tones. They seemed to be debating with one another before turning to look at their new mentors.

"We accept your offer to become your apprentices. You seem to be genuine and it would be nice to get off the streets," Tuck said. He shook IV's hand while the others greeted their new mentors the same way. It was the start of a new life for all of them.

"Looks like you're the only one without an apprentice Dos. Still haven't found someone who meets your standards?" Six asked.

Dos turned to face his brother. "Actually, I have. I would like to take Ms. Warren as my apprentice." His words shocked Circe. Being trained by the second most dangerous man on the planet was an honor. The old man held his hand out to the girl. "You are both dangerous and highly skilled being able to take on the most dangerous EVO on the planet and survive. I know what it is like to be disowned by your original family. Understand that this is a difficult transition for me, but I hope I can be a good mentor and parental figure for you."

Circe shook his hand. "I gladly accept your offer Master Dos. I look forward to the training."

"Now that's settled we need to make plans for returning to the states. Six, can you use your connections to get the teens out undetected?" Holiday asked. Six nodded his head. satisfied she addressed the other numbers. "After such a big mission it would be a good idea to lay low for a time. There are living quarters in Hope that you can stay in complete with training facilities. After today's mission its clear an upgrade to the power suits are needed. I can't fix them here, I need to get back to the lab."

"Will we be getting power suits as well?" Skywwd asked patiently.

Holiday shook her head. "At the present time, I don't have the resources available to build three more power suits. I'm sure though, between my sister and son, we can come up with protection for you. I do promise to work on something that will help you three be able to attend school once the new year starts. Right now, we should be preparing to return to the states. Looks like the vacation has ended."

"Oh I don't know about that love, it's going to take a while to get things ready to leave. Our presence in town might prevent any retaliation for the time being. Plus it gives us a chance to assess our new apprentices skills. We'll be ready to leave love when your vacation is over don't worry so much."

* * *

Indeed by the time they made it back to Hope a week and half later everything was settled. Living quarters had been provided for the other members of The Six and their apprentices. The workers at Hope had been informed in part about what to expect so they treated The Six and their kids with genuine respect and kindness. It was a bit of surreal experience for them. Six had gone to a lot of trouble to legalize their status in the USA as well as transferring guardianship to his siblings.

The three teens plus Circe were hard at work training with their mentors as Six pushed the rest of the Gears. They would be preparing an assault on Abysus next week to retrieve the Meta Nanite hidden there and they needed to on top of their game. Providence would also be searching for the Meta Nanite adding to the danger factor.

* * *

At the moment Bobo and Six were in the auxiliary base training facility one working with all the Gears accept Circe. She was in training area 2 helping out with the new Backup Gears as they were called. Since their power suits were being upgraded by Holiday at the moment they were in loose fitting martial art gi.

"I can't believe you didn't take me on vacation with you! Guess I'm going to have to make you pay. Kids meet Robo Bobo. Robo Bobo lets have some fun." The two Bobo's grinned as they started attacking from the high road and the low road. The room was altering at different intervals with pitfall traps, columns springing up, or crushing walls. It was a literal death trap.

Annie jumped on top of column going up towards the ceiling. At the last possible second she jumped off free falling towards the ground. She reached out managing to catch a cylinder as it push down. She spun around landing inches from a pitfall, but righted herself. She heard something swinging towards her. Pulling out her stun blaster she lined up her shot and fired.

Robo Bobo twisted out of the way landing just behind her. He fired a blast that she circled around out of the way. She moved right to left then left to right as she kept behind the robot. With a swoop motion of her arms she pushed the robot into the pit. She grinned.

The others were doing well as they worked together. Noah and Rex supported one another as they battled against Six. Noah would go in close and Rex used long range attacks. Six was putting them through their paces causing them to always react not act first a costly mistake. They finally caught a break when they switched roles in mid fight catching the old man off guard as Rex used his Block Party to send a close range force field over towards Six. He split in half, but was nicked in the shoulder by a blank from Noah's laser pistol. Six nodded pleased by their actions. He called the session to a halt as Beverly and Claire dragged a tied up Bobo to the center of the training room.

"Your all improving on your ingenuity. Remember in Abysus everything there is unpredictable. You have no ideas of the dangers that await you. Stay strong, but be ready to act on impulses. They might save your lives. Let's go see how the Backup Gears are doing. Rebecca won't be finished with your upgrades for another thirty minutes or so."

* * *

Watching from the observation window Rex had to admit he was impressed by how well his _tia and tios_ were handling the mentorship. His dad had given them pointers about teaching beginners such as being patient, take the time to show them what you meant. Also don't be lethal until their better prepared.

Five was playing songs on her guitar teaching Cricket to resist sonic attacks. The insectiod girl's face was scrunched up in pain, but she wasn't giving up. She took a few steps forward rubbing her legs together as she did. An annoying chirping sound filtered in the air as the two musics clashed. Five canceled her music turning her guitar over to bludgeon her, but Cricket jumped up to the ceiling. Five dotted after her only for the girl to let go dropping on top of her. They punched and kicked as they landed on the ground breaking apart. "Good job love. I didn't know you could do that chirping thing. Your ace in the hole?"

Cricket shrugged her shoulders. "I never knew I could do it either. I just thought I try something new." Five nodded in approval and they resumed practice.

IV was putting Tuck through his paces forcing him to elongate his bandage reach farther then before. He would then order him to recall them back before barking at him to reshape sliding through a gap. IV then attacked with his own bandages that his apprentice snagged with his own. It was a tug of war that Tuck lost falling flat on his butt. He seemed annoyed he lost, but IV praised him for his good work so far.

Trey was testing Skywwd's strength and durability as they sparred. Trey would pull his punches a bit testing the limits of his pupil's ability. Then Skywwd would attack in full force showing what he was made of. He wrapped his appendages around the metal gauntlets trying to break them, but Trey was to strong lifting him up in the air. So he shot his ink in face before doing a drop kick landing on his feet with his guard up. Trey nodded in approval as they continued.

A clash of weapons was going on between Circe and Dos. She twirled her rope dart in front of her using it to block the cane strikes. Dos was faster then she expected exploiting any weak spots as she struggled to use the rope dart to grab the cane, but it didn't work out as he managed to pull her weapon out of her hands. He tossed it far away before bypassing her defense bringing his blade to her neck. "You need to work on improving with weapon control. Disable my weapon between attacks then take me out. Understood?"

"Yes Master Dos. Thank you for the instruction."

The PA crackled to life. "Would everyone please come to the main room? I'm ready to show you the upgrades to the power suits. I also have surprised for the Backup Gears," Holiday said with a hint of pride in her voice. A few minutes later they were all sitting comfortable in the command center after having taken some extra chairs from the lounge. "Good your all assembled. I'm happy to report their was no major damage to the power suits. I was able to fix the internal circuitry with little trouble. While I was working on them I decided to upgrade some features. Please put them on so I can explain the features."

The Gears put them feeling something different about the suits. The fabric weave seemed slightly heavier in certain places as if there was something new. The wrists and boots also felt different. The cowl had a new menu option as well. "Okay, want to tell us about the upgrade because something feels different," Generator commented.

"We've integrated a high density Kevlar into the weave at critical sections for added protection against gun fire. Using your mental command you can move the weave to protect other areas. The suit can also do it on its own during a shootout. Your boots have a new magnetic soles to lock onto buildings. Your fingers can be flexed into claws to help you dig into the side of the building," Six explained as he pointed out the features.

"Awesome, now we don't have to worry so much about being shot at and getting around will be easier," Wingman said.

"Other features included an expandable gliding patagium similar to base jumpers. However this material is stronger while being flexible. You can have limited powered flight by activating the boosters in the boots by clicking the heels. I also installed a grappling line for pulling yourself up heights or trapping an enemy," Holiday explained as Spyder unfurled her own and examined her boots.

"Pretty cool sis. Any other surprises?"

"An expandable electromagnetic force bubble to keep you safe. You can extend the range by five feet to cover someone else. So do you like the features?" The kids nodded deactivating the power suits.

"Your suits are cool. I wish I had one!" Cricket squealed in delight.

"So what did you work out for us?" Skywwd questioned. Rex and Beverly just smiled. Beverly took three small tubes filled with nanites while Rex handled what could have been a tattoo needle. The three EVOs were hesitant, but after reassurance allowed themselves to be inked. The design was two arrows with two squares between triangles in the middle. Tuck got it on his right shoulder, Cricket right side of the neck, and Skywwd on the tentacle covering his left eye. Rex then had the tattoo put on his right forearm. They were admiring the tattoos when they vanished.

"What the heck?"

"Easy its just in camouflage mood. We've been working on a way to identify members from imposters. You told us about your encounter with a shape shifter so this is the answer. Say Ink Check," Rex instructed. Instantly the tattoos reappeared.

"Cool, does this ink do anything else?" Tuck asked.

"Oh you'll see my nephew and I are quite clever when it comes to programming nanites. Tap the tattoo twice while saying Level Up," Beverly instructed. They did as instructed watching the tattoo glow. A prickly sensation went throughout their body as they felt something growing on their bodies. At first they were scared until they caught a glimpse of themselves in the mirror. The nanites in the ink had formed protective body armor on their legs, arms, chest, and face matching their skin tone perfectly with a light silver sheen. On the chest was emblems resembling their names or EVO features. "Brilliant isn't it? The nanites in the ink are programmed to assemble themselves into protective constructs based on Rex's build designs. You'll also find a comlink formed in your ear to talk with us. The tattoo sends out a signal that can monitor your biometrics so we can keep an eye on you."

"Now we haven't fully tested the limits of the builds or if they can repair themselves. Also they don't give you any enhancements like the power suit or diagnostic trouble. Still the added protection will come in handy. So what do you think?"

"This is the best gift I've ever received! I'm so glad we trusted you and your team Rex. This is a whole new life for us, beyond anything I thought possible," Tuck said. Cricket nodded as Skywwd showed off to Annie who was blushing at the sight.

"Glad to hear it because your are back up when we go to Abysus to steal that Meta Nanite. Everyone needs to be on the top of their game so let's get back to work. We have a world to save!" Rex shouted joined in by everyone.

* * *

The day had finally come for the assault on Abysus. The Gears, old and new, were ready to carry out the mission to retrieve the Meta Nanite. Everyone was anxious and fearful, but they pushed it down. Now wasn't the time to let their emotions get the best of them. They needed to focus if they were to succeed.

Getting to Abysus had been relatively easy. Breach had agreed to open a portal to country's border. They would have to use their upgraded rides to reach the castle by themselves. The upgrades included hover, stealth, and a new force field options. The Backup Gears were given modified hoverboards to ride across the barren landscape. Six and Holiday were monitoring the mission from Hope. They would alert them at first sign of Providence making a move to retrieve the Meta Nanite.

The team finally reached the perimeter of the castle. After hiding their rides they made their way towards the castle. Siren's other friend Bannock had constructed a series of tunnels they would be using to infiltrate the castle. According to Breach, Van Kliess was in an increasingly bad mood as he struggled to get through the nanite wall to the Meta Nanite below. She had warned them that the man had been planning another kidnapping attempt on Rex, which was why they were mobilizing now. While Siren, Spyder, and Generator went after the Meta Nanite, Wingman, App, and Chaos would be keeping the Pack and Van Kliess busy. Cricket, Tuck, and Skywwd would stay outside keeping an eye out for trouble. If the team needed help or Providence showed up they would react instantly.

The team had finally reached the hidden tunnel entrance near a cluster of rocks near an old dying tree. Generator signaled the Backup to take up sentry posts. With a final nod the others descended into the tunnels using glow sticks to light the way. The group was quiet not saying anything as they followed the tunnels until they reached a fork in the road. One tunnel went to the right and downward the other went left and upward. This is where they would split. "Be extremely careful you three. There's no telling what you'll encounter. Try to avoid directly confronting Van Kliess if you can. Remember, Breach may be our ally, but she can't risk revealing her connection to us. You'll have to fight her with everything you've got."

"No problem, her craziness could work to our advantage. Its Skalamander and Biowulf we really have to watch out for. Their loyalty to Van Kliess is going to make them highly motivated to kill us," App commented.

"Then we'll just have to be better then them huh? Don't worry we'll keep the comlink open the whole time. We get into trouble the others will come to help us," Chaos assured them.

"You better get going. You're going to encounter a lot of scabrous in getting that Meta Nanite. We'll meet you back in the tunnels in forty five minutes. Good luck, " Wingman said saluting them. Generator nodded as they descended through the right tunnel towards the catacombs of the castle. The descent was steep and the tunnel was uneven. Bits of dirt would fall nearly cracking them in the skull. Finally they reached the end of the tunnel which opened up to the passageway Siren had explored previously.

Spyder scanned the wall sending the data back to her sister. Holiday was studying the readings trying to make sense of what she was looking at. After several minutes she responded to her sister's inquiries. "The wall is composed entirely of densely packed nanites. The nanites in this wall are partially programmed with some kind of defense system designed to repel any force trying to make its way past. The level of security could range from simple energy pulses to full body constructs to keep anyone away from the lab down there. I think your best solution would be to talk to the nanites convincing them you're not a threat."

"Your sense of timing is lousy sis!" Spyder responded. Thanks to the video uplink Holiday and Six could watch in horror as nanite constructs attacked the team. Siren was using her mouth trying destroy the constructs as Spyder twirled her tonfas about splitting them in half only for them to come back to life. Generator had formed his Blast Caster wrapping his whip around his attacker frying it. More constructs formed as the teens were pushed back.

"This is not good, maybe I can create a pulse or something they can use to deactivate the nanites," Holiday said as she typed furiously on the keyboard only for her husband to tap her own the shoulder. Half the monitors showed Generator's group battling the nanite constructs. On the other screen it showed Wingman's group engaging the Pack. Most likely the fighting below had been detected and the teens had reacted to prevent them from going after their friends.

They watched on the screen as App fired her grappling lines into the ceiling zipping upward out of the path of an attack. She released the line unfolding her glider wings and boots as she flew over their heads landing behind one of the small clusters of EVOs. When they came after her she used her Tai Chi to disable I-Bol and few other EVOs. Pulling her weapon out of her sheath she went after Skalamander who was shooting crystals at her.

Wingman was engaged in a close combat with Biowulf. The blade of his knife cut deeply into the EVOs forearm squirting blood. Howling, Biowulf used his free hand in attempt to rip his foe's head off, but the electromagnetic force field prevented it. Wingman performed a solid double spin kick. He tried to shatter the EVOs kneecap, but was tossed into a wall crumbling to the ground a bit. "Man, the upgrades still haven't helped lessen the pain receptors."

Chaos had dispatched several residences of Abysus as she made her through the ballroom. She wanted to take out Van Kliess so she fired her stun blaster. The man didn't even move as a red portal sprang up in front of him. A second portal opened behind Chaos as she was struck from behind. Thankfully the new weave protected her from seriously getting injured. She pushed herself back up as found herself fighting Breach in hand to hand combat. "You're a pretty shiny toy. Maybe I should put you in my doll house for safe keeping. Yes, I think I would like that very much."

"Dream on girlfriend. The only one who can call me doll would be a cute guy!" Chaos said. She whipped out a small capsule from her bag of trips, bent it in half before tossing it at Breach's feet. A slimy pink goo formed trapping her feet. "What's the matter don't like silly putty?"

"How much do you like it?" Breach said, a portal opened up under her feet taking the goo away. Sensing trouble the Gear member managed to hop out of the way before the payload could be dumped on her. That's when she heard the ominous sound of something big getting closer. She opened up her link to both Hope and the Backups. "Talk to me, what's happening?"

"A fleet of fully armed Providence jump jets and the Keep is making its way towards you. Satalight imaging indicates that there are more the three dozen squads of Pawns making their way towards you. I'm attempting to break into their channel to learn more," Holiday responded.

"Tuck, can you and your friends see the fleet?" Six demanded.

"Yeah, it's almost on top of us. Their main weapons aren't powered up, but they seemed to be preparing to take the castle head on." was the response he got. In Abysus Cricket hopped to the top of the tree to get a better look at the approaching fleet. Her eyes narrowed as she saw the weapons the Pawns carried. She radioed her response to Six. "Those Pawns are carrying modified weapons to shoot control collars at the EVOs. If that happens then we'll never be able to escape with the Meta Nanite."

"Your orders are to engaged the enemy. Slow them down at all cost. Generator finally managed to break through the wall by partially absorbing some of the nanites so they listen to him. They need as much time as you can buy to find the Meta and escape," Six commanded. The three friends nodded hopping on their hoverboards ready for action.

* * *

Cricket was the first to engage the Pawns. She flew down and around avoiding their gunfire. Kicking off her board she landed on top of one Pawn snatching his gun from him. She shoved the robot off the platform before it could collar her. She then turned around starting to shoot the weapon at the Pawns. While they wouldn't control the Pawns the collars did lock up their hands and feet for a few precious minutes slowing them down. She jumped back on her own hoverboard vibrating her legs so fast to create a sonic song. It worked as the sound interfered with the AI matrix causing it sputter and partly crash. "Thank you Five for the music lesson!"

"Cricket, keep up your guard!" Tuck warned. Their body armor so far was doing the job as weapons fire was deflected. The armor provided limit protection from hand to hand combat as Tuck found out. He had twisted his body into a jump jet cockpit. He was now doing battle with the second pilot.

"Your going to be in a world of hurt EVO scum!" the Providence agent said firing a regular blaster. Tuck brought up his forearms to cover his face. At the same time he used his legs to stretch out behind his foe. In a blink of an eye he was behind wrapping the guy up in full body bind. The guy thrashed and struggled, but finally went down. Once he was sure he was out he released him forming blades with his arm holding it up against the pilot's throat. "Okay, what's Providence up to now? Why are you here?"

"Threatened me all you like EVO, it won't save your master from being captured! Once he's under Providence control we can end this nightmare!" the agent said. Startled, Tuck accidentally hit the eject button sending the guy out of the cockpit leaving him to attempt to fly the jump jet. "Guys can you hear me? Providence isn't just after the Meta Nanite! They want Van Kliess!"

"Kinda figure that out myself. That's why Providence is trying to lift the castle off its foundation while collaring EVOs. They want two birds with one stone," Skywwd said. He had fogged up the Keep's sensors and was trying to use his limbs to cut their lines with limited success. He couldn't get close enough as weapon fire forced him back.

* * *

Back with Wingman's group the trio had their hands full. Several EVOs were now collared and attacking their former master. Van Kliess used his powers to contain or harm them to prevent his capture. "If Providence thinks they can come to my home and defeat me then they are gravely mistaken."

"You should evacuate what people you have left! If Providence has you in its clutches who knows what they can do? Think about it!" Wingman shouted, but his voice was drowned out as the battle intensified with the Pawns and Agents appearing in the hallways. App grabbed his arm dragging him back towards the tunnel entrance they need to get going.

* * *

Down in the catacombs Generator's group was making their way through the corridors on the ceiling to avoid any traps that might be lingering. The new soles and claws were very helpful. They were about to pass a room to near the central lab when Generator halted. Behind his cowl his eyes were glowing white. "Generator what's wrong? We have to keep moving. Hey, what are you doing?" Spyder demanded as he dropped to the floor to enter the room. The girl's followed him wondering what was going on.

"Generator we need to reach the central lab now! If we don't get out of here soon the mission will be a failure. Are you ignoring me?"

"Spyder, he's in a trance I don't think he can hear you. I wonder what is about this room oh my," Siren whispered. She looked at the drawings on the wall recognizing Rex's talent. There was a photo on the desk that Rex was holding. Siding up against him she saw it was of Rex with his biological father. This room must have been Rafael's private lab. "Generator, Rex we can't stay here. The whole castle is about to be torn from the foundation. We need to find that Meta Nanite now. I'm sorry."

Her words brought him out of the trance. Pocketing the photo they made their way to the central lab. An activate security system of dangerous nanites and lasers pointed at them, but using his regular voice the system shut down. He grabbed the Meta Nanite as they ran to meet up with the group. They managed to dive into the tunnels as the castle was ripped from the foundation. Several collared EVOs fell into the hole chasing after them. The team worked together to slow them down or had Generator cure them.

They reached their rides just as Backups' appeared next to them. "The agents captured most of the Pack except Breach. Van Kliess has been collared, but he was resisting. They put him in some kind of chamber to keep him from attacking. The Pawns will be after us in minutes for the Meta. We need to get out of here!" Tuck shouted.

"Let's ride people!" Everyone activated their hover feature flying through the air. Providence jump jets came after them as they activated their stealth feature to hide from their sensors. The Pawns weapons bounced off the protective field. They reached the border where the portal was still waiting for them. They zipped through with it closing milliseconds after them. They had made it back to Hope in one piece, but the cost had been great. The enemy had a whole new army under their control and with Van Kliess in their possession who knew what they were capable of.

* * *

Their worries were put on hold when Rex let out a scream as he fell to the floor. Massive growth were sprouting out of his body at an alarming to everyone's surprise. Holiday dashed over to her son as Six tried to hold him down. "Easy Rex, it's going to be okay. Please try to hold still ah!" One of the growth came alive smacking her in the face. Ignoring the pain she pulled out a small gas mask placing it over Rex's face. "We need to get him to the extraction room pronto! Exactly how many EVOs did he cure in Abysus?!"

"At least a dozen when were escaping and that was after absorbing some from the nanite wall!" Beverly shouted. She looked at her nephew with worry. Six was ordering for certain areas of the base to be cleared as they rushed Rex to a room upstairs. The teens followed with concerned looks. They reached the lab area rushing through the doors labeled Special Nanites. Behind the door was all the equipment used to help extract Rex's nanites and program them for the cure guns. There was a large machine on the far wall with a tube in it. They quickly placed Rex inside activating it. Slowly, but surely the growths stopped emerging.

"What exactly going on with Rex? What is all this stuff? Is he going to be okay? Tell us something please!" Annie begged.

Holiday was to busy monitoring the equipment and adjusting the flow of the chemicals in the machine so Six answered for her. "When we first learned about Rex's cure abilities we didn't know the consequences of what happens if he cures to many EVOs at once. Rex's body can only handle a certain limit of absorbed nanites before his body starts mutating out of control from the excess amount. The first time it happened we nearly lost him." He seemed lost in thought for a moment as he recalled the event.

"We were in Papua New Guinea studying how the natives there were able to resist EVO transformations. During a ceremony with a shaman several EVOs were led into a circle for a purification ritual. Some of them broke loose and attacked the village. We managed to hold them back as Rex cured them. Once he was done the same thing happened. We were worried that the villagers would harm us, but the shaman order us to bring him to his home. He gave Rex's herbs to relax his body. During the ritual he called for the nanites to come near the surface of Rex's skin where he blood let him releasing the excess nanites."

The teens went white at the news and some of them looked sick. "Bloodletting? You can't be serious. That's so medieval," Cricket remarked.

"Perhaps so, but it worked though it left Rex very weak and fragile. The shaman helped nurse Rex back to health. While we waited for Rex to grow strong enough to move on the shaman performed a ritualistic dance to commune with the spirits. He informed us that the spirits informed him that Rex was gifted with this power to correct the wrongs his previous family committed. He warned us that the growth were the spirits way of keeping balance, that Rex need to use his gift widely and respect the nature of the EVOs he cured. The spirits said that they would help us find a way to prevent the overload again. If we were careful it wouldn't happen again, but if it did we needed to be prepared to let Rex go."

"You actually believed him? Shamanism sounds a little sketchy to me," Tuck said. The others nodded in agreement. In the face of modern technology how could ancient beliefs counter something as powerful as this?

Six shrugged his shoulders. "My father taught me to respect all local beliefs saying it was better to honor them then ignore them. You never know if the ancient ways are stronger then yourself. With the help of the tribe we devised an early method to extract the nanites without harming Rex. Later through trial and error we developed the cure guns using that as a way to extract the nanites and keep his count manageable. Every few weeks we use the machine to help us collect the nanites used in the cure guns. The process is not perfect. Rex can still absorb nanites from them if he's in close enough range or does massive cures such as what happened on Hong Kong along with Abysus."

"Will Rex be okay after the nanite extraction process is complete?" Claire asked anxiously.

Holiday replied this time now that she was finished with the process. "He'll be fine, but the process leaves Rex very weak. His immune system takes a major hit as his nanites try to recover from the process. The next few days will be tough on him. You'll all have to take precautions not infect him with anything."

It took three hours to fully unload the nanites and store them for later. Rex was very pale, sweat covered his face. He was mumbling something. They only caught a few words; "program, unit, merge, homing." No one knew what it meant. His parents brought him home putting him to bed. There was nothing more they could do then ride it out.

* * *

_Large blue columns and a black sky encompassed Rex. He walked through a moving labyrinth following the path of glowing blue lines. He could hear the steady thrum of machines at work. Voices echoed through the air calling to him. "Control Unit is near. Complete our programming. Merge with us."_

_ "Whose there? Whose calling me? Show yourself!" Rex shouted. He ran faster and faster trying to find the center of the labyrinth. He stumbled into an opening. Hovering above a dais in a beam of light were two Nanites. One was blue the other was white. Hesitantly he approached them. "Are you the Meta Nanites?"_

_ "We're the power, the machines of the future," the blue one whispered._

_ "We wish to merge, to complete our design. Help us control unit, help us."_

_ Rex threw up his hand in exasperation. "What does that even mean? Why can't you give me a straight answer?" The Meta Nanites didn't answer him. There was a flash of light blinding him. _

* * *

Rex's eyes fluttered open. He found his parents sitting on his bedside nursing him. Six propped him up as Holiday made his sip some water. "How long?" he asked in a raspy voice.

"Four days. Shorter than the last time. Are you alright?" Six asked.

Rex nodded his head. "I had the strangest dream. I was in a different world talking to the Meta Nanites. Do you think I was actually communicating with them?"

"I don't know Rex, we'll have to investigate it later. I do have a special treat. We're going to go visit your grandparents the day after tomorrow for a pool party. All your friends are invited along with your uncles and aunt. Its going to be a wonderful family reunion."

* * *

The day of the pool party was greatly anticipated by everyone. The teens were very interested in meeting the elder Holidays wondering what they would be like. The Backup trio couldn't wait to meet people who didn't fear EVOs. It would be nice to not have to hide all the time. The members of the Six had some mixed expectations. Six had told them that his in-laws were good people, but they had a way of scaring you. They had to wonder what was so scary about these two.

They arrived early afternoon at a modest two story brick house. The yard was lush green with flower beds lining the wrap around porch. Wind chimes blew in the gentle breeze. Standing on the porch were two older looking people. One was a tall slender gentleman with dark brown hair with a few gray streaks and brown eyes. He was wearing a white short sleeved shirt and faded blue jeans. The woman next to him short black hair and bright green eyes. She wore a flower printed sun dress. Both of them smiled as their guests arrived.

"Grandma Yolanda! Grandpa Gilan! Oh its so great to see you again!" Rex said rushing up the stairs giving them a big hug.

"It's wonderful to see you again Rex. You've grown a bit haven't you?" Grandma Yolanda asked as she fussed over the boy. "Oh are these your friends? It's a pleasure to meet you all. Don't be frightened I don't bite," she said. She shook everyone's hand giving each of the teens a big hug. Her affectionate smile eased the trio greatly.

Gilan greeted the others leading them inside the house. It was a cozy place with open floor plans and light colored furniture. Smells of food being prepared wavered into the room.

Trey took a sniff letting out a laugh. "Oi, you cooking gumbo? Cajun's like their gumbo just right don't you know?"

"I'd love your help in the kitchen Mr. Trey, but first I think we should lay down some ground rules," Grandpa Gilan said. "As my son-in-law siblings I understand what you do for a living. Just because you're the most dangerous people on the planet don't expect me or my wife to cower in fear. When you are in our home you'll be expected to follow the rules. There will be no use of weapons in the house and I won't stand for any violence. I don't want to hear any course language. I expect you to mind your manners and be respectful at all times. There will be no sharing of alcoholic beverages with minors. Ms. if you play your guitar you'll keep the music at an appropriate level. I don't want to have the neighbors call me about the noise. As for the young ones, there is to be no rough housing, name calling, or disrespect. You will be kind to one another and share. I don't want any problems in the swimming pool or any other sports area in the backyard. When its time to eat you'll join us without complaint. Is that understood?"

"Yes sir!" they all said. The members of The Six were starting to understand what their brother meant about them being scary. The man's stern look and firm tone was of a person who was expected to obey him without question.

"Now that's settled would you like to join us outside? Beverly and I worked hard to set up the backyard for this little party. You can use the downstairs bathroom to change into your swimsuits. Just remember when your down to hang your suits bathtub to dry when your done okay?" Grandma Yolanda instructed.

"Um Mrs. Holiday?" Cricket asked anxiously. "Is it safe for us to go outside? I know you don't have a problem with EVOs, but your neighbors might. Rex and Circe can pass for human so they're okay. Tuck, Skywwd, and I can't."

"Oh yes you can," the sing song voice of Beverly called out from the stairway. She slid down the banister to the disapproval of her parents. She ignored them holding out what looked like three medical alert bracelets. "I've been working on these in my spare time. Rex came up with the idea I just built them. Put them on and press down on the center of the button."

The trio took them smiling at the engravings. According to the bracelets, Cricket was allergic to bee stings, Tuck to latex, and Skywwd to sea food. Slipping them on they pressed the button feeling a prickle of energy. They looked in the mirror on the wall startled by what they saw reflected. They looked like they did before their change. "How is this possible?" Tuck asked.

"Its a holographic disguise. I borrowed some components from my school's tech lab along with some stuff I "borrowed" during our Providence visit. The holograms will fool cameras, mirrors and people. I've also used some proofing so you can go swimming without concern. You'll have to be careful though the illusion doesn't change the way your bodies feel to touch. Still, I think its nice illusion and the bracelets help protect you from suspicion."

"Thanks Beverly, no ones ever done something like this for us before. We're greatly touched," Skywwd told her. She beamed at the praise. "So now that were normal whose ready to hit the pool?"

"Count me in, I can't wait to show you my diving techniques," Annie giggled. The kids hurried to get changed to go swimming. Everyone was soon rushing out to the back yard. The patio had been decorate with lanterns and umbrellas for shade. There was a cooler filled with soda, water, and juice. There was a table covered with some snacks to munch on while they waited for the rest of the meal to be cooked. A CD player was cranking out tunes for everyone to enjoy. A croquet field had been set up for the adults amusement. There was also a badminton field for the kids near the pool.

* * *

The kids took off into the pool splashing one another. Cricket's legs came in handy for going off the diving board. The other girls were playing with a beach ball trying to keep it out of the water. The guys took turns showing off their best dives before playing a game of Marco Polo. The laughter and joy coming from the pool was contagious.

The adults were also enjoying themselves. Six had challenged Dos and IV to a game of croquet. The men were very competitive with one another. IV went first with his black ball managing to get his ball through the first wicket with ease though his bonus strike didn't get him close to stake. Dos with his yellow managed a roquet so he got two more chances missing the next wicket by inches. Going last Six managed to get through the first wicket with ease.

"It appears your losing your edge Six. In the past you would always try to best me in the first round," Dos remarked casually.

"They're stills plenty of time to beat you Dos. Using a mallet takes skill."

"Are you two done with the taunting? I like to have some fun now," IV muttered. The game resumed with each of them trying to best the other one.

Five watched them competing against one another shaking her head. "I can't believe those blokes are getting so caught up with this. It's just a lawn game."

"Manners child remember?" Grandma Yolanda said flicking the girl's ear. Five looked at her in astonishment not believing she actually did that. "My husband did say no course language remember?"

"Believe me Five you don't want to get on my parents bad side. They take punishment to a whole new level," Holiday laughed. She was sipping her juice enjoying the nice weather. "One time when I was little I broke a vase and tried to hide it. When mom found out not only did I have to do extra chores, I had to replace the vase with my allowance. It was embarrassing. Did One ever do something like that?"

"His punishments weren't as severe. If I acted out he'd take away my guitar and not let me train for a whole week. He always said discipline would prepare us for the future. When is Trey going to be done in the kitchen? I'm starting to get hungry. These chips aren't the kind I'm use to."

"Sorry about that dear, we tried to get a little variety from each of your culture. If you like I could see if we have any fish to cook."

"No thanks, I think I'll wait for the main course." She was just about to go get a drink when she spotted something approaching from the air. "Is that my imagination or is something flying towards this house?"

Holiday looked up at the sky, her face palling at the sight. "That's Caesar's pod. What's it doing here? Rex, come over here now!" she called out. Her son pulled himself out of the pool hurrying over. "What's your brother's pod doing coming here?"

"I invited him to come over. It is a family reunion," he said defensively. "Mom, chill please. I'm just trying to show Caesar that there's no reason to pursue this custody thing. I just want to prove that you're not the bad people he thinks you are."

Holiday wanted to protest when her mother touched her hand. "Rebecca dear, what have I told you about hospitality? It's rude to ignore a guest. I know that your protective of your son, but trying to keep his brother away from him is just costing you isn't it? Rex has the right idea. Maybe a little family time will convince Caesar to join this family instead of tearing it apart. Why don't you go greet your brother and bring him back here Rex? Just remember to tell him of the rules."

Rex nodded, exciting the backyard through the side gate. Caesar had parked his pod in the driveway. He smiled widely when he saw his brother. "Mijo! It's good to see you again. I'm so glad that Black Knight gave us the day off to visit family. I know Rylander and Meechum were both happy about that." The two hugged getting Caesar a little damp.

"Sorry about that, I was swimming in the backyard. Grandma Yolanda said to come on back. I can't wait to introduce you to my grandparents along with my uncles and aunt. They're a strange bunch, but nice people. They recently took on some kids as students."

Caesar frowned upon hearing that. "You mean they illegally took kids from their families as well to train to be mercenaries?"

"Please don't be like that bro. You can't judge people based on assumptions. Those kids could be considered my cousins. They're very happy to have found some adults who care about them. You confuse me _hermano. _You accepted an adoptive _abuela _when we were growing up _si?_" Caesar reluctantly nodded his head. "Then why can't you accept my new family as well?"

"The circumstances are entirely different little brother. Mammy and Pappy knew Abuela. They approved of her. I don't think they'd approve of your adoptive family is all."

Rex shrugged, "Well I'll just have to convince you won't I? Come on I'll introduce you." They went around back where Trey and Grandpa Gilan were just bringing out the feast. There were turkey burgers, hotdogs, and salad. There were also ethinic dishes from Spain, England, and areas of Africa. The gumbo smelled great as Trey tasted it.

"Boyo this gumbo is the real deal. Its going to make your taste buds come alive. Yo Rex, is that your brother now? He's a bit of a skinny fellow. Needs to put some meat on his bones."

"Honestly Trey, you could use a lesson in tact."

"Alright that's enough you two. Caesar, its good to see you again."

"A pleasure I'm sure. So Rex you were going to introduce me?" Rex nodded calling everyone over. Noticing his brother had some type of scanner in his back pocket he discreetly touched it using his technopathy to disable the device. Going around in a circle he introduced his friends first knowing Caesar properly forgot their names. The older Hispanic frowned slightly when he saw Circe as if he couldn't quite place her. He also seemed slightly confused when he met Cricket, Tuck, and Skywwd feeling their skin when he touched their hands.

Caesar really started to sweat a bit when he got pointed looks from The Six. They greeted him friendly enough, but their tone indicated they weren't happy with him trying to bust up the family. Nor did they like his judgmental looks. At least Grandma Yolanda and Grandpa Gilan greeted him properly.

"Welcome to our little party Mr. Salazar. We'll be eating in a few minutes. Afterwards you can join the others in the pool or play badminton against the girls. Cricket and Circe tell me they are quite the players. Oh, you'll have to stay for desert. I've made my famous chocolate cake. It's always wonderful to eat under the stars. Rex always has seconds."

"Thank you for the hospitality Mrs. Holiday. I appreciate it." Caesar felt like he was out of his comfort zone. During the meal he was on his guard afraid to really talk with anyone. He couldn't understand how two respectful people like Yolanda and Gilan could be so comfortable sharing stories with Dos and Trey. The teens interactions also made him feel left out. Noah and Claire were sharing food with one another while Skywwd helped clean up some spilled soda off of Annie's lap. His brother was getting close to his girlfriend who playfully shoved him off his chair.

"Not what you were expecting huh?" Beverly said passing him some mustard. "These family parties are always a lot of fun. My favorite part is after desert we dance to music before stargazing. Have you ever done that?"

"Our Abuela use to throw the best fiestas. I never danced though, two left feet."

"Then maybe I'll just have to show you how?" she responded with a twinkle in her eyes. Caesar blushed wondering why his heart was beating so fast.

After that he tried to join in the conversation, but most of his technical jargon was over everyone's head. Later he did play a game of badminton against the girls with Rex. Dos and Five cheered their girls on as they annihilated the two brothers. Rex was okay managing to return serves, but Caesar lost his racket. Then he managed to get tangled in the net. It took both Noah and Tuck to get him out of it. He was embarrassed. He also lost in the pool against Skywwd when they had a relay race.

* * *

Night was falling as the lanterns were lit. Fireflies fluttered in the sky. Rex had just finished his second piece of cake when the music for dancing was turned on. He grinned as the special song he selected was about to play. "Come on, let's show the older generation how we get down."

"Slow down Rex, my arm doesn't move like that!" Circe laughed as she joined him on the open patio space. The others had partnered up.

Caesar didn't look like he was going to join when Beverly grabbed him by the shoulder. "Come on Mr. Science Whiz, I'll teach you to dance." Beverly showed him where to put his hands and spread his feet apart. The music came on as everyone enjoyed "Welcome to our Family."

"_There is nothing complicated_

_about the way we live_

_we are here for each other, happy to give_

_proud of who we are_

_humble beneath the stars_

_we've everything we need_

_the moon, the sun_

_there is more than enough here for everyone_

_all we have we share_

_and all of us we care_

_so come on_

_welcome to our family time_

_welcome to our brotherly time_

_we're happy for given an taken to the friends we're makin'_

_there is nothing we won't do_

_welcome to our family time_

_welcome to our happy to be time_

_this is our festival_

_ya know the best of all_

_we're here to share it all"_

Caesar was trying keep up with Beverly as she twisted away from him. She turned sideways as he stumbled to follow her lead as they slid across the patio. The other couples were doing their own dance versions twisting and turning around in joy. The adults were tapping their feet to the beat of the music enjoying the performance.

_There's a bond between us nobody can explain_

_It's a celebration of life_

_we see our friends again_

_I'll be there for you_

_I know you'll be there for me too_

_so come on_

_welcome to our family time_

_welcome to our brotherly time_

_this is the festival_

_ya know the best of all_

_we're here to share it all_

_remember we love once we're parted_

_someone near to your heart_

_finding love, planning a future_

_telling stories, loving with friends_

_precious moments you'll never forget_

_this has to be the most beautiful_

_The most peaceful place I've ever been to_

_It's nothing like I've never seen before_

_When I think how far I've come I can't believe it, yet I see it_

_when I see family I see the way we used to be_

Rex watched his brother's face closely. He was hoping that the song lyrics would change his brother's mind. The others seemed to get it, but his brother didn't seem to be hearing the music at all.

_Come on_

_welcome to our family time_

_welcome to our brotherly time_

_we're happy for given an taken to the friends we're makin'_

_there is nothing we won't do_

_so come on_

_welcome to our family time_

_welcome to our happy to be time_

_this is the festival_

_ya know the best of all_

_we're here to.._

_We're here to share it all!_

* * *

The adults clapped and whistled at the kids performance. Everyone was smiling and happy. Beverly squeezed Caesar's hand. "So, you can dance now huh?"

"Thank you for teaching me. I have to go though. I can't be late or Black Knight will be very cross with me. Mijo, walk to the pod with me?" Rex nodded following his brother. They were silent as they reached the pod. Caesar was about to use the elevator up when he turned to his brother. "Your foster family is different. They're exactly like I expected and at the same time nothing like I thought. Never in my life has my data been so faulty."

Rex nodded his head leaning back a little. "All of them are wonderful, caring people. I love them very much big brother. Please, drop this custody thing. You can join this family, be a part of it. If you gave it a chance I know you'd be happy."

Caesar ran a hand through his hair and looked away for a second. "Rex, I can't do that. Mammy and Pappy taught us the value of family, how important it is to stay together. I'm not doing this to be cruel little brother. I'm just trying do what I think is right and in your best interests. I know your hurt, but remember I love you very much. The custody hearing is in two weeks so I'll be busy until then. I'll see you at the court house. Goodbye mijo and thanks for inviting me." Caesar kissed his brother on the forehead and entered his pod. Rex watched him go feeling defeated. After all his hard work his family still might be torn apart.


	8. Technical Difficulties

Two weeks later, the small family and their friends were all assembled in the courtroom. On one side of the room sat Caesar with his lawyer. Sitting in the gallery behind him was Black Knight with a few of her Pawns and an older woman with gray hair. The Hayashi family was sitting with their lawyer along with their friends and extend family sitting behind them for support. Everyone was anxious and worried, but none more than Rex. He didn't know was going to happen to him.

The bailiff straightened up as the door to the chambers opened. "All rise for the Honorable Judge Owen French." A middle age man in black robes appeared. He took his seat signaling for them to all sit down. The judge looked at the people assembled in the courtroom.

"I want to make this clear. This is a preliminary hearing, one that I strongly feel should have been settled outside of court. The lawyers have already informed me of the unusual circumstances surrounding both parties. I've also reviewed the relevant evidence submitted by the lawyers. I wish to hear from parties themselves to clear up some details. Mr. Hayashi, would you please take the stand?"

Six walked over to the stand being sworn in. He had removed his sunglasses in the courthouse out of respect. Standing straight up he looked up at the judge trying to get a read on him.

"Mr. Hayashi, a background check along with your own statement has stated that you were once a soldier for hire. Can you elaborate on that background?" Judge French questioned.

Six fixed his tie before responding. "I was adopted and trained by a man who was considered the most dangerous person on the planet. He taught me and my siblings his skills so that one day we'd help people. I admit that in the past I took on missions from less the reputable clients."

"Are there any open warrants out for your arrest? Are you banned from any countries?"

"To the best of my knowledge no. All international agencies are aware of my history, several of them employed me as well as my siblings to carry out less than savory missions on their behalf which lead to immunity from prosecution. No country has banned me from their boarders."

The judge nodded as he reviewed some papers submitted to him. "According to the records you once considered to work for Providence, but changed your mind when you met your wife and the child."

Six nodded explaining his motives. "I wasn't impressed by the way Providence operated. I found their methods to be inhuman and their treatment of civilians to be cruel. I felt that I could do more good as free agent helping out in crises that required someone of my caliber. Also I owed Rex after he saved us from the crash."

"Did you adopt the boy only because of the debt? I've reviewed the case-law. Hong Kong adoption bylaws state that only citizens between the ages 2-15 with disabilities or major medical problems may be adopted. It also takes six months to a year. Your adoption was complete within three weeks."

"I love my son very much Your Honor. Rex was living in Hong Kong, but he wasn't a citizen. He was a street child so the usual rules didn't apply. I admit the process was rushed, but my wife and I felt that boy had suffered long enough on the streets. He needed stability and care sooner rather then later."

"Agreed, two more questions. What is your current job and why do you believe that Rex should remain in your custody?"

"I'm currently the top field agent for Hope Research. I train and lead our field agents in our operations to help protect the populace while ensuring the safety of the EVOs. As for your last question, we've had Rex for six years. We have a strong familiar bond. I have been there for him when his brother hasn't. I feel that he belongs with us."

"Thank you Mr. Hayashi. You may step down. Mrs. Holiday-Hayashi, please take the stand." Holiday was sworn in and took her seat. From the gallery her parents gave her an encouraging smile putting her at ease. "I have only a few questions for you Mrs. Holiday-Hayashi. Can you explain the reason behind your world travels? Your husband testified you wanted to give Rex stability so I'm unclear how traveling all the time for about five years constitutes to that."

Holiday fiddled with the cuffs of her dress feeling a bit anxious. She was trying to speak, but her tongue was tied. The judge gave her a warm smile. "Do you need a glass of water?"

"Yes, thank you." She sipped the water the bailiff gave her. Once she was done she explained. "The Nanite Crises had just occurred. The world was confused and EVOs were occurring at an alarming rate. Providence mandate of capture or kill wasn't working towards a cure nor were they trying to understand the phenomenon. Our travels helped forge alliances and get the grants I needed to establish Hope. It was during our travels I was able to learn more up close and in person; enough to develop my cure guns."

"During the travels how did Rex adapt to it? Were you able to keep up with his studies?"

"Rex enjoyed the travels very much. He learned a lot during our travels. I always made sure to keep on top of his home schooling. It was because he wanted a more stable life and I wanted to be near my family that we set up Hope. It took a year to get everything ready, but it was worth it in the end."

"How has Rex adjusted to the stability of normal living? Are there any problems with his education, your long work hours, anything at all that's not in the reports?"

"Rex tested well, being placed in challenging classes. The uncertainty and naivety about high school was short-lived. As for the long work hours Rex often joins us there helping out with the personal if he's not with a trusted friend. There are no issues to my knowledge."

"If I was to grant joint custody to Mr. Salazar, how would you feel about that?"

"Caesar Salazar, is a brilliant scientist and a nanite expert. I'm certain he's loves his brother, but I do question my son's safety with him. If he was to stay with him in Providence I would worry about Rex constantly."

"Hmm, interesting. You may step down. Mr. Salazar please take the stand." Caesar was wearing a dark gray suit and sweating as he took the stand. He was trying to project an aura of calm, but it was obvious he was nervous.

"Mr. Salazar, according to your records you should be twenty six years old, though your body is twenty correct?"

"Yes sir Your Honor. As the evidence submitted by my lawyer I was caught in sublight travel by the explosion that caused the Event. I've been doing my best to catch up with current events."

"What is your current living situation? Exactly what is it that you do for Providence?"

"I live at Providence working as nanite expert. My colleagues and I have been working towards fixing the problem with the nanites. Our research is leading to ways to control EVOs while hopefully preventing more from occurring. Our eventual goal is to ensure the nanites work properly as at this time there is no way to remove them completely from an individual."

"I understand you cause quite a bit of chaos upon your arrival in town. You're lucky no charges were filed. Can you explain why you didn't look for your family immediately upon your return to Earth?"

Caesar tugged at his suit collar. "It was a mistake. I should have looked for my family, but I was concerned with the Project. I believed that an important piece of technology needed to help with the crises needed to be found. It was in the hands of a friend. I should have trusted him."

"Your lawyer has presented me with a great deal of evidence. I have statements from your adoptive grandmother on your character. I can tell you are set financially along with access to education and health facilities. You seem to be a good person. I would like to understand your motives to overturning the adoption completely instead of arranging joint custody."

"Your Honor, my parents installed the importance of family. With Rex's amnesia I'm the only one who can help him regain his past. I know that his foster parents love and care for him, but I'm concerned for his safety and health. During the project Rex was injured. The result left him with some unique challenges that need to be monitored by an expert. I also question his placement in school. I know mijo is smarter than what his grades show. I want to help him reach his full potential. My brother is my only family left Your Honor. I need him back in my life please."

The judge nodded dismissing him. He reviewed more of the evidence presented. Took a glance at both galleries making observations of the people assembled. Finally he cleared his throat. "I would like to hear from Rex Hayashi on his thoughts in the matter. Rex, please take the stand."

Rex bit his lip so tightly that it started to bleed as he took his oath. He sat down not daring to look at either party. The judge made him look up as he started his questioning. "Rex, are you happy with your parents? Have they ever mistreated you or put you in harm's way?"

"NO! I mean no sir. Mom and Dad love me very much. Words can't begin to describe how much I appreciated them taking me in. They've always done whatever they could to make sure I was safe and treated well. Dad taught me to defend myself and Mom was always there when I needed her. Their families have also been supportive. I admit some of them are a bit crazier than others, but they're good people."

"You understand if your brother gained custody you still would be able to attend your school, see your friends correct? You'd only be living with him. Visitation with your adoptive parents could be set up."

"I know Your Honor, but I love my life as it is. I don't really want to change my home situation and I have mixed feelings about Providence. I don't agree with their methods at all. Being in their HQ would feel like betraying my parents."

"I understand Rex. Do you have any objections with living with your brother?"

Rex looked at Caesar their eyes meeting. The two of them seemed lost in thought. Rex broke the connection and glanced at his parents before turning back to the judge. "Your Honor, I love my brother, I do, but he's a stranger. I don't remember him at all. I question his ability to handle my care for two years. That being said, I don't want to leave him alone. I want him to be part of my life, my family. I truly believe with a bit more time that could happen."

"Thank you Rex, you may step down." Judge French took one last look at the evidence before addressing everyone. "As I stated at the beginning of this hearing I truly believe that this should have been settled by the lawyers if both parties weren't so stubborn. You both care greatly for Rex; enough to fight for him while causing him emotional heartache. There is evidence to support a claim of questionable adoption. There is also evidence questioning Mr. Salazar's ability to provide a safe environment for his brother or if he's up to task. So here's what we're going to do."

"I'm not going to make a ruling today on the custody. Instead I'm ordering supervised weekend visits for the next three months. The parties will meet at a neutral location to hand over the minor Friday afternoon at 4:30. During that time the minor's wellbeing and guardian will be Mr. Salazar's until 6:30 Sunday night when he's returned to his adoptive parents. I will be reviewing the court appointed supervisor's notes on the visit as well as instruct her to do a home visit. During this time if any new evidence is presented I will take it into consideration. I want both parties to use this time to resolve this issue amongst themselves. If none has been reached, then I'll make a ruling in three months' time. Mr. Salazar-Hayashi? Your first court appointed visit will be this weekend. You'll meet with your supervisor an hour before the exchange at place determined by the lawyers. I'm truly sorry about this situation and you have my prayers that a solution will be reached. Court is adjourned," Judge French said smacking his gavel down. Both parties were unhappy with the verdict and Rex was feeling more lost then ever.

* * *

That weekend Rex was clutching his bag tightly as they waited for Caesar outside the bakery, the neutral location. His parents were holding hands waiting anxiously hoping that he wouldn't slip up in Providence. The court supervisor, a heavy set woman with brown hair in a blue suit named Ms. Bingum, stood at attention. She was a special supervisor who had worked cases with parents in high profile positions so being in Providence wouldn't faze her much. She glanced at her watch wondering where the other party was. He was going to be late.

"Does anyone know where Mr. Salazar is? It's almost four thirty," Ms. Bingham asked.

"Caesar can get distracted by his work, I'm sure he'll be here on time. Look, there he is," Rex said. He was surprised that his brother was showing up in normal looking car instead of his pod. His brother looked a little flush and embarrassed as he exited the car. "Hi Caesar."

"Mijo, I'm sorry I was almost late! I was working on something important for Black Knight and I lost track of time. Thank goodness Rylander reminded me of the time."

"I hope that this won't be a regular occurrence Mr. Salazar. The court frowns on people who miss their appointments," Ms. Bingum told him. Caesar looked down sheepishly. Way to make a first impression. "Shall we get going? Is there anything that you need to inform each other about?"

"No, there's nothing we need to share at this time. Have a good time Rex, we'll see you Sunday night," Holiday said as she hugged and kissed him goodbye. Six squeezed his shoulder giving Caesar a glare. With one final farewell the three of them left.

* * *

They arrived at Providence a short time later. Black Knight was there with her Pawns to greet them. "Welcome to Providence Rex. I hope that you enjoy your stay here. I've tried to make this place as comfortable and inviting as possible."

"Ms. Knight is it? There are a few things that we need to discuss about safety and needs while Rex is here. The judge also asked me to interview you and others of the staff to get an accurate assessment of what kind of life the child could have if the judge rules in Mr. Salazar's favor."

"Of course, we can talk in my office. My Pawns would be more than happy to stay with the brothers supervising them. Rex, why don't you go put your stuff in your room? Caesar, take the afternoon off to spend time with your brother alright? Just make sure he stays in the public areas."

"Of course Black Knight. Come on Rex, we can go to the gym to play some basketball? I know you like that." Rex nodded reluctantly following him. He stayed close to his brother's side, his eyes darting around. The building was suffocating and he didn't like how the Pawns were carrying weapons. He looked around for human faces. "Is something wrong?"

"How can you stand working with these robots? They give me the creeps."

"How did you know they're robots? Almost no one knows that."

"I just sensed it I guess. This is going to be an awkward weekend."

"I promise everything will be fine." Rex hoped he was right.

They spent about an hour in the gym, but Caesar was even worse than Rex at basketball. Caesar took his brother to the cafeteria where they met up with Ms. Bingum who had finished with her meeting. She was talking with Rylander and Meechum. They both noticed the brother's entering.

"Hello again Rex, it's good to see you. How are you today?" Rylander asked shaking his hand.

"I'm fine Mr. Rylander. It feels strange being here."

"You'll get used to it soon enough Rex. Why don't you get something to eat? We're having meatloaf and mash potatoes tonight. I believe you said that was one of your favorites?" Rex nodded going to get a tray.

"I hope that you plan to be very hands on with him Caesar. He's going to need your support to make him comfortable," Meechum said. "Are we done with the questions Ms?"

"For now. I think I'll get some food myself."

A few minutes later Rex sat down with his food. He took a bite grimacing. He took a big sip from his milk before shoving the tray away. Caesar looked at him confused. "It's horrible. Mom's a bad cook, but she makes this dinner perfectly. Is there anything else I could eat?"

"I think there's still some tamales from lunch earlier. Do you still like that?" Rex nodded so Caesar got him that. The meal agreed better with him as he ate itl.

"Glad to know something's don't change. You use to beg Mammy to make tamales for dinner as often as possible. Pappy use to joke you would turn into one with how many you ate."

"So Mammy was both a cook and a baker? That's cool to know. What else can you tell me about them?"

"Oh, Pappy knew how to play the trumpet. You tried to play once, but failed miserably. You then said you wanted to learn how to play accordion because it might have been easier, but Mammy talked you out of it. I can't play any instruments to save my life, but I do enjoy listening to traditional music and a few Blues songs."

"You don't look like a Blues fan."

"There's a lot that you don't remember, but I'm going to help you. No inventions this time I promise. Just old fashion talking. Why don't I tell you some stories about when you were little? I can recall when you were first brought home I was so excited to be a big brother. I tried to baby proof the house with my inventions only to end up buried in a heap of broken parts. Mammy and Pappy laughed. I had to hold you while they cleaned up. I was so afraid I'd drop you. You just looked up at me with complete trust. I promised then and there I would always take care of you," Caesar told him, his eyes wet with tears. Being around his baby brother was making him more emotional.

Rex touched him on the shoulder, "It's okay to cry Caesar, it doesn't make you weak, just human. Tell me another story please?" His big brother smiled happy to oblige him. The younger Salazar listened with rap attention as Caesar recounted tales him as shy, timid little four year old who would hide his brother's keys and lock doors so he wouldn't leave him alone.

After dinner the two of them played video games and watched a telenovella before Caesar insisted his brother get some sleep. He would have to work tomorrow so they wouldn't have a lot of time together. His baby brother asked if he could go with him to the lab to watch him work making the elder nod enthusiastically. He was hoping to get Rex more interested in science, follow in his family's footsteps.

* * *

It took Rex some time to fall asleep that night. The bed was uncomfortable and he wasn't use to the constant humming of the building. He was just about to fall asleep when he heard two people arguing in the room next to his. Sitting up in bed he closed his eyes reaching out with his technopathy. Not sensing any hidden bugs or cameras he touched the wall. His technopathy went to work letting him hear what was going on in the next room via his ear buds. What he heard was disturbing.

"Don't get uppity with me Salazar. You may be invaluable to Providence's future and the overall Nanite Project, but don't forget your place," Black Knight's voice echoed.

"What did you and Ms. Bingum talk about exactly? She was practically interrogating me about your leadership! If she feels that this place isn't safe then I can forget about seeing my baby brother ever again. I thought you promised to help me."

"I am helping you Caesar, but then again you haven't kept your side of the bargain have you? I've given you access to the best technology the world has to offer, free reign in the treatment of the EVOs, I even went out of my way to get Van Kliess for you despite what you think of him. What have I gotten out of the deal? Zero results yet."

"I'm doing the best I can! It's going to take time to properly figure out how to construct the human to machine interface while preventing mutations and keeping your faculties. I've nearly got it under control. The designs for the power transfer machine will be complete for construction in the Consortium Base soon. I can't give them the Meta Nanite's power when I don't have them. That's your job remember?"

"I'm working on it. Those pesky Gears have two of them. I don't doubt that they, along with White Knight, are searching for the other three. The troops are looking into finding them. At least we don't have to compete with Hope for them. Those fools are blissfully unaware of their existence. Just remember the deal Caesar. You give the Consortium what they want and we'll ensure that you get custody of your brother and that he never sees the Hayashi's again. We'll even help you with constructed the machine to regain his memory. Be patient a little while longer. When he's in the lab tomorrow try to show him that Providence is different then what's he's been led to believe. You'll be working with Van Kliess tomorrow so try to remain civil okay?"

Rex disconnected the connection shocked by what he heard. Tears were streaming down his face. Caesar had made a deal with the devil because of him? Just like before the world was in danger because of him. Would he ever not be the source of his brother's greatest mistakes? He had to try to convince him to back out of the deal no matter what.

* * *

The next day Rex was subdued as he watched his brother work. He barely said anything even when Caesar tried to talk to him. His brother had taken him to Providence Petting Zoo to show him the success and necessity of the collars. He showed how tame Mo the mutated alligator was. He saw Biowulf and Skalamander tending to the EVOs making him frown. He may have hated them, but they didn't deserve this.

Demonstrating a patience he normally didn't have he waited for a chance to talk to Van Kliess alone. The man was collared, restrained a bit, and under constant guard. Being kept in a stasis tube most of the time was starting to affect his sanity. He was making strange remarks and staring off into space a lot. Meechum was in charge of keeping the man on track with his duties.

It took until late afternoon before he got a chance. Ms. Bingum was called away on a private call and the other scientists were busy with some unexpected trouble. Rex might have used his powers to mess with their equipment sending them into a panic. Van Kliess just stood off to the side muttering to himself as the Pawns helped the others out. "Hi Van Kliess. A step down from your previous position of being the King of EVOs huh?"

"The cat is chasing his tail only to turn into stone. It's sad really." The man kept playing with his gold hand. He wasn't looking at him at all.

"I know your still in there VK. Please, talk to me. I need to understand something and you're the only one who can help," Rex whispered pleadingly. His words seem to bring the man back to normal for the time.

"Interesting, even after my attempt to evolve you and hurt your girlfriend, you still trust me more than your brother. I'm honored. What is it that you need to know exactly?"

"Tell me more about the collars. I know that they control your body and mind. Is there any way to deactivate them? Make EVOs immune to them?"

"Worried about Circe are you?" Rex shook his head. "I don't believe that anyone should be controlled like this. It's wrong to enslave people. I don't care what you've done it sickens me to see you like this and know my brother is responsible."

Van Kliess struggled to place a hand on Rex's shoulder, but his restraints and collar prevented it. After fighting he gave up. "You remind me of your mother. She also hated to see anything suffer. It must have slipped Caesar's mind that she fought to preserve the environment. She was active in causes to help protect animals, save ethnic groups. She wouldn't approve of what's he done. I don't know anything that can stop the collars except the master control that your brother has. Perhaps your mom can create an immunity. Ugh, I do know if these collars continue I'll lose parts of myself I rather keep and so will many others."

"If my brother was going to make another mistake, is there any way I could convince him to stop? Nothing I tried works."

"Caesar listens to his mind more than his heart, a trait your parents tried to change. They were brilliant and loving people finding the perfect balance. Your brother never managed it that. Try using logic instead. They're coming back, best be going." Rex started to turn away when VK managed to fight the collar long enough grab his hand and whisper into his ear. "Your family is the only thing he's ever cared about. If your life was near death it might change him."

"Rex, stay away from Van Kliess. He's still somewhat dangerous. Come on let's go do something fun." The rest of the weekend was like that. He would have fun, but the conversation he overheard stayed with him. When he got home Sunday night he was unsure what to share and what to keep to himself. One thing was certain, he had to find a way to stop those collars for good.

* * *

After informing his family and friends what he learned they doubled their efforts to find the Meta Nanites before Providence did. Construction of homing device was slow going. Holiday and Six had brought a few select engineers, including Jacob, into the fold so to speak. While they weren't informed of the identity of the Gears or Rex's EVO status, the couple had told them about the Meta Nanites. Jacob promise to help them find a way to track down the other three, he just needed a little more time to build the device.

The other staff members of Hope we're also charged with new duties. The field agents were now responsible for collecting EVOs with malfunctioning collars in the wild and bringing them back to Hope for treatment. Many of them were horrified by the electrical burn marks left by the collars. Rhodes was working overtime treating the EVOs. She was reluctant to release their EVOs from their Petting Zoo worried that they suffer the same fate.

Bobo had stepped up security as well at the base. Knowing what kind of toys Providence had and the lengths they would go to achieve their objective, he went all out. He put several booby traps throughout the corridors while installing security gates for lock down mode.

* * *

In the auxiliary base the Gears were trying to figure out how to prevent the collars from working. Beverly had kept one from their Hong Kong trip for study. With Rex's help a sonic key had been constructed to unlock the device. For now they were running tests to see if there was a way to prevent the mind control. The EVO members took turns having the device on.

Circe had the collar on now, fighting to prevent it from taking over her mind. She focused all her willpower, she could feel the device trying to synch up with her nanites. Her second mouth started to sprout then folded away as a low level jolt was sent throughout her body. She sank to her knees exhausted, eyes white, and her mind unable to control her body.

"Deactivating collar. How are you doing Circe?" Claire asked. She was checking her friend over for any injury. There were no burn marks and only the slightest skin irritation from when the collar tried to tighten around her neck. "Can you use your powers?"

Circe formed her mouth singing for a few seconds before folding it up. "I'm okay. How long did I resist this time?"

"Two and half minutes. That's your longest time yet. Building up resistance to the mind control is a good strategy, but how will it helps us in the heat of battle? If one of you gets collared you then its game over. You can't expect us to fight you with full force," Annie said. She was sitting in one of the lounge chairs. Skywwd was next to her holding her hand. Cricket and Tuck were also sitting down on the couch shuddering at the thought of fighting their new friends.

"You'd have to fight us with everything you had. At the very least incapacitated us. When the collar is active we'd have no choice, but to reveal all of our secretes. Providence would be here faster then you could blink an eye. I don't know about you, but I don't want them to find out who we are," Cricket said.

"Perhaps we should take a page out of our mentor's book," Tuck said. "Be ready die for the cause."

"Personally, I like to live to see my next birthday. Ugh, I wish they had taken us on their mission. I hate being told we're not ready. We could handle it," Skywwd moaned. He had gotten a lot stronger under Trey's tutelage and wanted to prove himself to his mentor.

"They're on a mission to rescue government hostages from terrorists. Do you really think you could handle as big as that with your current skill level?" Rex asked. He could tell how worried his "cousins" were about their guardians. "Don't worry, my _tia _and _tios_ can handle just about anything. They'll be back in time for your first day of high school in a few weeks."

"Thanks for reminding us of the time crunch Rex. With senior year just around the corner we need to figure out how to save the world. Out of all our EVO team members, you're the only one who's successfully fought off the influence, even going as far to disable the device. We've concluded that is because of your strong willpower and abilities. If there was only a way to transfer that power to others then we wouldn't have to worry so much," Noah pointed out deadpanned to the group.

"We're still not a hundred percent sure how to share data between nanite networks. It's why we've been trying to build resistance and come up with a way to take out the collars permanently remember?" his girlfriend reminded him. "Beverly, do you have anything that could help us?"

Beverly looked up from the computer screens. She had been going through the hacked files of Providence comparing the data. She reviewed schematic designs and notes made by the other experts. Caesar's brilliance was alluring to her on a personal level. His personal choices left her wondering though what kind of heart he had. "I'll give your brother credit, Caesar designs are flawless. He repurposed these collars to send out signals to the nanites to override their out of control programming. The new program causes them to form a mini AI in the brain merging with the electrical impulses. I'm not sure how he managed this on his own."

"Between Meechum's system expertise and Rylander's micro engineering it's entirely possible. Maybe Van Kliess's bio mechanical expertise could help undo this, but he's currently in custody losing his mind. My brother's assembled the greatest minds on nanites. It's only a matter of time before they solve the issues with the nanites and give the Consortium what they want," Rex whispered looking over her shoulder. In anger he hit the consul upsetting the machine greatly as it whined and whirled crazy because of his technopathy.

"Hey, leave my computers alone Rex! There's some important data in here."

"I'm sorry, I'm just so angry and self-loathing. Because of my accident my parents had to use the first batch of nanites turning me into an EVO. My success led to creation of the God Code. My parents chose to keep that code out of their hands leaving me an orphan and now my brother is spitting on that sacrifice to get custody of me. All my life I've just been the cause of disaster or burden to the people love me. Even now I'm putting my family through unnecessary heartache. I think you'd all be a lot safer if we'd never met. If I had just died then none of this would be happening," Rex whispered. There was a loud crack and Rex was rubbing his cheek. Circe had just slapped him.

"Don't you ever say something like that again! You are not responsible for the actions of others. Your parents saved your life because they loved you. Your brother triggered the Event to ensure the world you grew up in was safe. Your mom and dad took you in not because you're a burden or a cure, but because of who you are. I'm tired of this self-pity. I know your upset by what's happening. You feel helpless, afraid to take a chance, but blaming yourself isn't doing anyone any good. We need you Rex, the world needs you. Look at how much good you've done."

"You saved New York from Van Kliess, prevented Rylander's death. Stopped a plague from wiping out the world and brought peace to a dying man. You've saved how many lives and cured how many people? Your gift to talk with the nanites has kept us one step ahead of disaster. It's tough now, but if we keep believing we'll win. I promise you," Noah told his buddy.

"If you don't give up neither will we. We're friends to the end. No matter what happens right?" Annie aforementioned. The others all shook the heads holding their hands out. Piling up on top of one another they shook down then back up. Feeling better, they got back to work figuring out how to prevent the end of the world.

* * *

Preventing the end of the world would have to take a backseat for a bit. Three weeks before the new school year started Caesar got to the court's permission to take his brother on a little field trip to the family ranch. Using a Providence jump jet the brothers and Ms. Bingum arrived in Argentina in only a few hours. Caesar, after learning the original state of the ranch, had gone out of his way to fix it up even hiring locals to run the ranch for him until he visited. There had been some problems by local EVOs Chiquito and Durango, but Providence quickly arrested the two men locking them up.

"You're going to love this place _hermano_. I've had everything restored to normal and I've made sure all the animals are well taken care of. We can go riding on the donkeys later, brush the llamas fur out. Oh we can take the bull to market. You use to love doing that. For some reason the bull never got angry at you. He chased me all over the place, but for you he let you pet him with no trouble," Caesar said as they disembarked the jump jet just outside the ranch. The place looked as beautiful as Caesar remembered it. He smiled at the locals who were tending to the ranches' needs. "_Hola a todos. Gracias por el rancho de mi familia la ausencia. ¿Cómo es el estado de las cosas? Son animales muy bien? Los problemas con la casa?"_

_ "Bienvenido a casa el Sr. Salazar. No hay problemas con los animales o la casa. Siéntase libre de buscar en ellos. Espero que usted y su hermano disfrute su fin de semana aquí," _a ranch hand replied. Everyone seemed very excited to see the brothers.

"They seem really friendly. Do you know them personally?" Rex asked as he got set up in his bedroom. Ms. Bingum would be staying in the guest room down the hall as Caesar took the master suite for himself.

"I wouldn't say personally, but they are from the local town. The Salazar family is well respected in the area having been the land owners for some time. We've always been very fair and treated everyone with great respect. Does being here bring back any memories?"

Rex shook his head. "Nothing about this place feels familiar. I looked at those pictures on the wall trying to remember, but nothing. You were right about one thing; I do love the animals. Can we get a closer look at them?" Caesar nodded delighted that his brother was excited about something.

The animals were very friendly to Rex. The llamas spat at Caesar when he tried to pet them, but nuzzled Rex. One even kissed him earning a laugh from teen. Caesar got chased by the chickens when they tried to collect the eggs. Ms. Bingum gave the cows and bull a wide berth. The bull seemed to remember Rex letting him scratch his ears. It was amazing how well the animals accepted him.

"I just don't understand mijo. How do you get them to accept you so easily?" His brother asked. They were riding the donkeys down the path into town. Ms. Bingum looked a little green. The elder Salazar's donkey was being stubborn refusing to move at all, but Rex's was doing just fine. He even fed it a carrot patting it on the head for being a good boy.

"I don't know _hermano_. I've never had pet; at least that I can recall. Animals just like me a lot. The ones in the Petting Zoo in Hope never run from me. The only animal that ever hated me was an EVO rabbit that crashed junior prom. Is that the town?"

Caesar nodded as they arrived in town. They dismounted and started exploring. He would point out sites recounting tales of things the family had done hoping to spark a memory. Nothing seemed to jog Rex's mind at all. It was disappointing for the brother. After seeing the way his brother flinched the last time he tried to help, he was hoping a gentle approach would trigger some memories. Maybe a recall memory machine was the way to go.

Rex was oblivious to his brother's discomfit. He was talking to some of the local kids asking them about what it was like to grow up here. They told him all about the local fiestas and adventures they had. Rex wanted to go join them for a local hike, but knew Caesar wouldn't approve of it. As he watched the kids leave he wondered if he and his brother would ever be that close.

"Is something the matter Rex? You seem to be upset about something," Ms. Bingum asked coming up next to him. She had pulled her hair back into a ponytail and was wearing civilian clothes instead of her suit. "Is there something I should know?"

"What? No, it's just I wish I remembered what Caesar is talking about. I wish that Caesar and I were as close, but I feel like he's keeping secrets from me. Also, I don't want to betray my parents by getting to close to him does that make sense?"

Ms. Bingum gave him a half smile. "Believe me, what your feeling is completely normal for kids in your situation. That's why many judges want these cases settled outside of court. It helps the family's find peace. Maybe your brother will be willing to compromise with a bit more time."

"I hope that your right. I don't want to lose any family." The next day at the ranch Caesar decided to switch tactics. He brought up the old VCR and home movies from the basement. He set them up in the living room hoping this last ditch attempted would work.

"What's all this Caesar? Are we having a movie night?"

"I thought we watch some home movies. I found a couple videocassettes that Mammy filmed. Maybe watching them will help you regain some memories." He started the movie sitting down next to Rex. He watched his brother closely hoping to see a sign.

Rex was quiet as he watched the video. He felt a warmth spreading throughout his body as he saw and heard his parent's voices for the first time. They seemed so alive, so wonderful. He looked at a younger Caesar playing with him as a toddler. He was a cute kid who looked at his family with such adoration and love. His eyes got wet as he saw him biological mother kissing his booboo and hugging him tightly. It was just like what his Mom had done for him when he was younger.

There were a few more tapes, but it wasn't until the last one played that something happened. It was a short video of Rex playing with the animals being chased by the chickens. He was laughing so much he didn't notice that he was getting to close to the bull pen. The camera was dropped and the video ended as his parents rushed to get him out of the pen. "I remember that," he whispered.

"What did you say?" Caesar asked incredibly. He stared at his brother afraid to touch him and ruin the moment.

"I said I remember that. That was the first time I'd ever been alone with the bull. I fell into the pen rolling into him. Mammy and Pappy were racing over to save me as the animal turned to sniff me. I was afraid I was going to be gored, but instead the bull smelled me and then picked me up in its teeth bringing me to the edge of the pen where Pappy took me. That's all I remember."

"Hermano! I'm so happy right now. If you can remember a tiny piece of the past, it indicates that there's a way to bring it all back. Maybe we just need to get more stimuli. I wonder if we can stay here longer."

"I'm sorry Mr. Salazar, but your brother needs to be returned to the States per the custody arraignment. Also, school is starting soon so your brother needs to get ready for that. I suggest you bring back some familiar items to help with the memory loss," Ms. Bingum suggested. Caesar nodded just happy that his brother remembered their parents.

The rest of the weekend didn't produce anymore memories. Caesar wanted to get started on creating memory books and other stimuli, but Black Knight warned him if he didn't keep his end of the bargain she's keep him from seeing Rex. Knowing he had no choice he got back to work vowing to finish as quickly as possible so he could get back to his baby brother. Rex, on the other hand was happy to have a memory back, but was fearful for the future. His dreams were filled with nanites calling out to him warning of an impending danger.

* * *

A few days later Rex's premonition came true. The members of The Six had returned with some interesting intelligence from their latest mission. That coupled with a correspondence from White Knight had the entire team on edge. The group had assembled in the HQ going over the data.

"I recently had a chance to talk with White Knight. His defect group is planning a serious attack on the newly constructed Consortium Base. Black Knight has called for a meeting with her bosses to give them a progress report, possibly more," Six explained to the group. "He asked us for help, but I said it would be dangerous for us to get directly involved with his mission."

"What does he plan on doing exactly?" Holiday asked.

"Your albino friend wants to either capture the Consortium to prevent them from obtaining the God Code or kill them by blowing up the base. A messy business if you ask me. There are cleaner ways to dealing with threats. This calls for a precision and finesse, not an all-out attack," Dos stated to the group thumping his cane on the floor.

"The most important part to any mission, especially one that involves capture instead of kill, is to do your research. Case in point know your enemy better then they know themselves. So that's what we did," IV said coldly. A familiar image popped up on the screen. The Gears recognized the man as the one Rylander had gassed.

"The poor boy was still trying to recover from his trauma. Found him in a private nuthouse down South. So we paid him a visit asking for some information. He was most cooperative after we introduced ourselves no?" Trey grinned smacking his fists together. There was no doubt in their minds what he might have done to get answers. "Don't get your pants in a twist, the boyo is still breathing and alive. He's just in a straightjacket now is all."

"Trey, you are honestly too much sometimes. He gave us names of the other Consortium members, the ones still alive that is," Five said sticking a flash drive into the computer. "The Consortium used to be made up of a least a dozen members, but over the past few years several members have ended up in the morgue, the result of a messy "accident."

The pictures of the corpses were enough to make several of the members stomach's squirm and bile threatened to spill. It was clear a lot of violence was done to the bodies. Deep slashes with electrical burns, smoking bullet holes, and strangulation marks with blunt objects. Whoever killed these men had a great amount of rage and was without mercy.

Cricket looked at her mentor with some composure. "Those marks are clear evidence of an EVO attack. Only someone trained as a mercenary combined with powers could have tracked those men down, eliminated them and gotten away without any injury. According to the police reports attached to the file there was never any foreign blood or biological samples."

"It has to be Black Knight. She was employed by the Consortium so she'd know who she have to kill. She worked on the project so she must have some knowledge of forensic science to help avoid detection. Didn't you guys say she was the only survivor of the test subject group?" Tuck asked.

"Yes, but we were never able to confirm her powers. I've gone through every digital archive trying to retrieve the data, but it's simply gone. Even hacking into Providence security feed hasn't revealed anything, because she turns them off when she trains," Beverly remarked.

"Caesar knew her from the project, he has to know she's an EVO. So why hasn't he collared her? Why is he letting her run the show? If the entire Nanite Project team know her secret why hasn't she silenced them? She obviously has no problem eliminating Consortium members," Annie pointed out.

"Because she hasn't gotten what she's after yet. Black Knight has always wanted power and recognition for her skills correct? She was turned down by the most dangerous man on the planet, humiliated by him then forced to become a guinie pig for some project only to be discarded after the event. She wants a piece of the pie and will do anything to get her way. There are five Meta Nanites and six members of the Consortium left. All she has to do is kill one more and she's in," Claire said.

"Who's left on the Consortium? How dangerous are they? Do you think White Knight can beat them? What exactly is going on at that base?" Noah demanded. Five opened up the files as Six read the description of the remaining members.

"There's Roswell, a successful oil and mineral business man from the South who enjoys destroying natural reserves while stepping on the little people. Reddick who's a major real estate and construction mongrel whose jobs have left hundreds homeless. Sir Anthony Hayden-Scott notorious stockbroker and businessman. Xanubian, an arms and shipping dealer, and lastly Vostok, a black marketer and former KGB. Each of them extremely powerful, wealthy, and dangerous in their own way."

"There's no way White Knight can hope to capture them with the small numbers he has. They're too well protected and the base is heavily fortified. It would be suicide to after them," Holiday protested. She was about to go on further when two things happened at once. The Meta Nanite scanner that Jacob had just finished constructing started to ping loudly and Rex started twitching on the floor his eyes going white. "What in the world?"

"Rex, what's happening? What do you see? What do you hear?" Circe asked him frantically trying to get him out of his trance.

_"Time is calling to me. Reunite with brothers. Danger, fear, confusion. Where is the control unit? Why am I so far from my brothers? Help me," _Rex whispered. His body stopped twitching and his eyes returned to normal. Circe helped him up as they all looked at the screen. The scanner confirmed what Rex already knew. There was a Meta Nanite in the Consortium Base. "We've got no choice. We have to infiltrate the base. Our objectives are simple. Retrieve the Meta Nanite, sabotage the Nanite Team's efforts, and if possible capture the Consortium. If they're locked up then Caesar won't have a reason to keep his end of the bargain."

"Your brother and the other scientists are working for the enemy. They're not going to just let us stop them when they're this close to completing their goal. If you want to save your brother you're going to have to be ready to fight him," Skywwd pointed out.

"I know, but I can't let Caesar put the world at greater risk then it is. As much as I want you're and your siblings help we can't risk it. Black Knight knows that your siblings are in the area. If she catches them going after the Consortium she could retaliate against Hope finding the other Meta Nanites."

"Hate to admit it love, but the kid has a point. We can't go on this one. The kids will have to get in and out of the base by themselves. Our job will be to provide a distraction big enough to keep both Knights and the Consortiums attention until the objectives are met."

"Agreed, tomorrow Operation Target Consortium begins at dawn," Six said.

* * *

The next morning the entire Gear team was observing the Consortium Base from a nearby hill. They were running a final surveillance of the base for any unknown factors. It appeared that the high tech security system wasn't operational yet. Dozens of Pawns patrolled the perimeter for signs of trouble. Generator gave Tuck and Skywwd a hand signal.

The two Backups stealthily made their way down the hill until they were in position behind a small cluster of trees. They watched as two Pawns patrolled closer. Once they were in reach Skywwd spat out a cloud of ink. The two robots started to radio for help when Tuck pierced them with his sharpened bandages, then wrapped them up pulling them behind the trees. The two boys dragged the Pawns back to the group.

"We got them Generator before they could let out a distress signal," Tuck whispered.

"Time for you to work your magic," Skywwd said. Generator knelt down placing his palms on the Pawns chest. Blue lines snaked through their bodies repairing their bodies as he reprogrammed them. Removing his hand the two Pawns sat up looking at him for instruction.

Generator nodded to Spyder who went to work using her interface to install a dangerous virus into their system as he gave them their instructions. "You're to return to your normal patrol. As you come in contact with your fellow Pawns I want you to share your virus to them. Don't stop until all Pawns are infected. Continue to act normal and follow Black Knight's commands unless given you receive the code phrase from one of us. Once you receive the code enable your alternate programming. If caught self-destruct understood?"

"As you command Master Generator. We will do as you command."

"Good resume your patrol now," Generator said. They watched them return before he turned to Spyder. "Did you get their frequency?"

"Yeah, everyone key your power suits and armor to broadcast this frequency. It will convince the uninfected Pawns were one of them giving us free reign of the base. It will also help us identify any of White Knight's men trying to infiltrate the base using the disguise method."

"Should we help White Knight out? I mean he's going to get himself killed if he tries to take on the Consortium by himself," App pointed out.

"That's why I and the Backups are going after the Consortium ourselves. We'll be on standby to rescue White Knight if he looks like he's in trouble. If we can we'll capture them, if not we get the heck out of dodge," Siren informed her. "You, Chaos, and Spyder focus on containing the nanite team and sabotaging their progress. Generator and Wingman will get the Meta Nanite. That is the one objective we can't fail on."

"Understood let's switch to camouflage mode now," Wingman instructed. They all changed their outfits to match the Pawns. With a final nod they went their separate ways.

Siren flew Skywwd onto the roof of the building as Cricket jumped on top with Tuck. The mummy slipped into a ventilation shaft disabling the pressure sensors and opening the grate for his friends. Activating her holocomputer Siren led them to the conference room. In a few minutes they were overhead getting their first look at the Consortium.

"Identities confirmed, it's them alright," Cricket whispered as she used a telescopic zoom on her camera to compare the people with their images. "I've never seen so many high-profile men before. They have the same aura as Quarry."

"Only they're lot more dangerous. So, we just stay here and do nothing?" Skywwd asked.

"Only if White Knight looks like he's in trouble or they attempt to escape do we react. For now we keep an eye on them," Siren confirmed. The others nodded as they settled into a relaxed guard.

Meanwhile the girls were making their way to the main lab where the Nanite Team was assembled. Spyder's cowl was giving her a progress report. "Sixty percent of Pawns are infected. Hopefully it will be a hundred. You know what to do when we get in the lab?"

"Copy whatever data they have then destroy the machines. If they interfere restrain them," Chaos replied. Spyder nodded as they entered the lab. The men were all busy working on their computer consuls or checking on equipment to look up. It was after all just another security team of Pawns Black Knight sent to keep an eye on them.

App moved over towards where Meechum and Rylander were working together. The two men seemed to be arguing about something. She took a glance at the screen seeing the binary code flash by as the systems were checked and programmed. She tapped the machine with her fingers interfacing with it copying the files before she reversed the flow messing with the machine.

"Hey, get your hands of that. You stupid Pawns are you trying to delay our work on purpose? I thought Black Knight wanted this done as soon as possible," Meechum bellowed.

"Calm down Peter, they're just machines doing what they're told."

"Yes, the clock soldier is twisting its gear as it winds up. Oh integration of nanite network with host molecular structure is a hundred percent. No abnormalities to report. Oh hello pretty lady are you here for the dance?" Van Kliess asked as Chaos nearly tripped over him. He helped her up nearly groping her by accident.

"Is that one experiencing some technical difficulties? Their AI matrix should ensure that they don't trip up like that," Caesar asked. He started to come over when he was blocked by Spyder. She pointed at the consul not saying a word. "Okay, I get the message back to work."

Meanwhile Wingman was following Generator's lead as they made their way through the twisting corridors and random rooms. Generator's eyes were flashing white as he listened to the call of the Meta Nanite. "_Time merge with brothers. Find me please control unit. Please." _

"Generator keep the mumbling to a minimum. You're supposed to be a robot remember?" Wingman hissed. He suddenly jerked his friend up against the wall going into stealth. Two non-infected Pawns walked right pass them towards a high security vault. Activating their magnetic soles and claws they climbed up the walls to the ceiling trailing after them.

They watched as the Pawns received clearance as the vault doors opened up. The two of them watched as the Meta Nanite was suspended in a light of some kind as a laser grid sprang to life. The two Gears barely made it inside as the Pawns walked out of the vault, the lights shutting off. "To close for comfort. Can you disable to grid?"

"I think so, just be ready to grab the Meta Nanite," Generator whispered. He shot out a grappling line from his wrist. Testing the weight he swung around the grid rolling onto the floor next to the control unit. Wingman got into position. At the same time the two friends shut off the security, grabbing the Meta Nanite and making it towards the door. A quick word from Generator opened it as Wingman shot the Pawns in the back. "Let's hurry, we don't have much time before the alarms go off."

"WARNING INTRUDER ALERT! ALL PAWNS REPORT TO EMERGENCY STATIONS."

"Oh man, was that or White Knight's group?"

"Does it matter, we need to get out of here with that Meta Nanite before they realize its missing. All squads this is Generator. We need to get out of here now. Finish your missions and get out pronto."

In the lab the Nanite team was wondering what the heck was going on. Caesar brought up security on a monitor. Checking the halls he saw a few Providence defect marching through the halls taking out Pawns and setting up what could be explosives. "This isn't good. White Knight's trying to take out the base. We need to stop him now. Come on let's go ahh!" Before Caesar could take two steps towards the door Spyder rammed her fist into his chest knocking the wind out of him. App and Chaos didn't hesitate. App fired two grappling lines wrapping them around both Meechum and Rylander. Anchoring them into the ceiling she pulled until they were suspended in the middle of the air. Chaos used her bag of tricks to set off a mini flash blinding Van Kliess as she extended her protective field around him before dissolving the link trapping him inside.

"What is going on with these Pawns? Did your AIs go rogue again Caesar?" Meechum demanded kicking his feet furiously.

"Don't blame him for this, I suspect our guests aren't what they appear to be. Isn't that right Gears?" Rylander asked. Seeing no reason to hide any further they reverted to their normal colors. The expert chuckled once he realized who had beat them. "Well, I'm not surprised a trio of beautiful ladies managed to get the drop on us. Old men can never say no to a pretty lady."

"Gears? What… are… you doing here? Do you realize… what you're costing us? Ah!" Caesar found himself flung into a chair with a tonfa to his throat cutting off his air. A quick melee kick to his legs paralyzed them for a short time.

"Your work impresses me Salazar. You're incredibly brilliant and I have to admit, handsome, but you have a loose sense of morals. You disgust me wanting to use people and EVOS for your own personal gain. If I were you, I'd rethink my priorities. Chaos, App, finish with this room, I'm going to damage their little science project."

"Hold on you can't just ooooooooom!" He was cut off as Spyder forced her covered lips on to him cutting off his protest. With him distracted it was easy to bonk him on the back of his head sending him to dreamland. With a smirk she jumped through the observation window landing in the shattered glass. She then made her way to the machines ready to tear out wires and bust them up.

At the same time this had been going on White Knight and two members of his group had busted into the conference room. The Consortium backed up from the table as Black Knight called for her pawns as she jumped into battle going after White Knight. She pulled out a gun from behind her back firing it. White Knight stood his ground shooting back at her with his own gun.

"Lady, don't forget that we're here too! Do you want use to get shot as well?" Vostok demanded. He was about to pull his own weapon when something pierced it turning it into scrap metal. The man looked stunned.

The two Pawns, who were about to kill White Knight's teammates stopped. Their heads sparked and eyes glowed as they turned around leaving the men behind marching to the Consortium with their weapons drawn. "You will cease and desist your actions now or you'll get shot."

"Black Knight, what is going on with your Pawns? How dare you threaten us," Sir Anthony Hayden-Scott demanded.

Black Knight growled going low shooting White Knight in the leg. His suit repaired, but he was down for the count. Her eyes were starting to glow purple as she bellowed, "What did you do to my Pawns?"

"Nothing, but they'll be going bye with you and the Consortium once my men set off the bombs in the facility." Angry Black Knight shot her Pawns destroying them. She aimed for White Knight's head when a cloud of in filled the room.

There was a great commotion, but as the room was vented they could plainly see the four teen heroes standing by. "YOU! I should have known you punks would show up."

Siren didn't even acknowledge her shooting into the air with her rocket boots. Tilting forward she expanded her glider wings flying over Black Knight who tried shoot her down. Folding her wings closed she brought her foot straight down on BK's face shoving her into the ground. Snatching the gun she snapped it in half before unleashing a scream full blast. "You need to get out of here White Knight, the world needs you to live to fight another day. We'll handle the Consortium."

"Hold on a minute, this is my mission! You can't," was a far as he got. Siren spun around activating the emergency return function on his suit sending him away with his men. Getting into her stance she faced off against an angry Black Knight.

The Backups were trying to corner the Consortium. They had been making their way to a hidden escape exit. Skywwd reached out with his tentacles cutting Roswell across the face before using an ink shape exploding star to knock Sir Anthony Hayden Scott on his butt. Cricket hopped out of the way of Vostok's gun fire. Using every trick Five had taught her she used her surroundings to her advantage kicking the massive table towards the man forcing him to dive out of the way. Tuck had wrapped his bandages around Xanubian and Reddick limbs trying to twist them out of their sockets. When they turned firing guns at him he reformed his body hollow slipping away from them.

"You're not going anywhere!" Tuck shouted as he shifted into a squeezing mass around Xanubian trying to suffocate him a bit, but Reddick tore at his skin again and again. Tuck couldn't regenerate so he let go. He got a glimpse of all the Consortium members leaving except Vostok. He shouted at them "Cowards! Black Knight, once I've cleaned up this little mess we are going to talk about your future young lady." He aimed his gun at Cricket's heart. She couldn't get out of the way in time.

A gun shot was heard and blood spattered. The teens looked horrified as Vostok fell to the floor dead from Black Knight. "Fool, as if I let him ruin my chances."

"You truly are merciless, killing your employer like that," Siren responded in disgust. Black Knight just gave her a look as she got ready to shoot her dead when the facility went pitch black. When the lights came back on the Gears were gone, the lab badly damaged, and the Meta Nanite was missing. Even her succession into the Consortium was overshadowed by this loss. She had to secure the next Meta Nanite or else.

* * *

The Gears hadn't escaped the battle unscathed. Many of them sported bruises and their bodies had taken a beaten. Tuck's skin needed a few days to recover from being torn at. Skywwd was exhausted from using so much ink. Noah and Rex had both suffered minor injuries during their escape from the Pawns that hadn't been infected with the virus. The adults ordered bed rest for the next few days to give the team a chance to recover.

The teens protested of course. The fate of the world was more important than a few minor injuries, but this time the mentors put their feet down. No strenuous activity until their injuries healed. If anything came up then The Six would handle it. The important thing was for them to get some rest.

It was about a week and half before the new school year started when trouble occurred. The scanner for the Meta Nanite had gone off. A fourth nanite was detected in a nearby mountain range. The Gears had wanted to suit up and go for it, but Holiday had threatened to use a sedative on them if they didn't stay put.

It was hardest on Rex. He could hear the Meta Nanite calling out to him. He moaned as he twisted around in his bed at home. "_The matter and anti-matter need to be one with the control unit. Please merge us with our brothers," _he whispered. Sweat was pouring down his face. Images of a battle flashed through his mind. Suddenly he bolted upright screaming, "DAD! Oh man, I can't just wait here. What if what I saw was real?" He snatched his phone off the desk speed dialing Noah as he pulled on his clothes.

"Noah, it's me. We need to get the others and meet up at Hope ASAP! I think I just had a vision."

"You don't have to tell me twice. Claire just got a call from Circe. The Six ran into serious trouble on the expedition to the mountains. They got caught in a rock slide and our cut off from the jump jet. Worse, Providence is on their way to get the Meta Nanite they secured."

"Tell Circe and the trio to prep the rides for super speed move. We're going to rescue my family before Providence shows up," Rex replied turning the phone off. He took off for Hope activating his power suit once he was a safe enough distance from the house. His Sky Slider zoomed through the air.

* * *

He met up halfway in the sky with his friends, their rides switched to hover mode. The trio was had their hoverboards strapped to their backs as they rode with Siren, App, and Chaos. Spyder gave him the report as they activated zoomed towards The Six's location. "According to sis, The Six managed to secure the Meta Nanite from inside a cave. They were making their way back to the jump jet when the rock slide happened. They were forced into a narrow gorge with no way out. Satalight imaging reveals that The Keep, two jump jets and a squadron of Pawns are on a direct course for them. She's also pretty sure that White Knight is coming because there was a smaller, all terrain tank that didn't match anything in Providence's database. He must have heard the chatter and came to secure the Meta Nanite for himself."

"We can't lose that Meta Nanite. We only need one more and then we can destroy them for good," Chaos lamented. "How long can The Six hold off Providence for?"

"The Six are the most dangerous people on the planet. They can hold their own pretty well, it's getting out of there that's the trouble. We need to rescue them without it looking like we know them. If worse comes to worse we'll "steal" the nanite from them," App responded.

"I don't know if this is the time to mention it, but I learned that Providence has been working overtime to repair the damage to the Consortium Base. It should be fully operational in three days at the rate their going," Generator told them.

"Damn Providence tenacity. We're just going to have to be faster. How much longer until we reach the coordinates?" Tuck demanded.

"Approaching final destination in five, four, three, two, and one! Disengaging super speed mode. Activating defense system whoa hang on!" Siren shouted as she throttled her ATV. They had arrived in the middle of a fire fight nearly crashing into the Keep as it fired its weapon into the canyon. Below them they could see The Six avoiding the attack using the flying rocks to jump out of the trap. Squads of Pawns and regular agents were rushing towards them.

The others banked hard also avoiding running into the jump jets. They returned fire as they were under attack. The Backup's jumped off onto their hoverboards to give their friends less weight. No words had to be said as Skywwd and Chaos headed towards the Keep. Taking out the main weapon was priority one.

Tuck and Cricket went after one jump jet while Spyder and App took the other one. Siren, Wingman, and Generator dove towards the ground with his Block Party activated keeping them safe in a force bubble. Upon getting close to the ground Generator switched to the Punk Busters crunching Pawns to dust. Activating his Slam Cannon he shot tons of rubble at the regular agents burying them.

* * *

"We'll handle the Providence losers. Just get that Meta Nanite!" Wingman shouted. He was pulling something out of his survival pack as he leapt from his car. The vehicle went on autopilot switching to battle mode. Joined by Siren's ATV the two rides blazed down the mountain trail intercepting any ground troops.

Siren activated her second mouth alternating the frequency. She didn't want to bring down the whole mountain side on her. Her protective weave was working overtime preventing bullets entering her body. Two Pawns fired collars at her. Remembering Dos's lessons her rope dart whipping through the air. The rings wrapped around the collars. Spinning the rope she bashed them to pieces. Another collar was fired at her but she used a hooked strike to send it back at the Pawn. She darted in between the two Pawns doing a split kick smashing the collar guns to pieces. A regular agent grabbed her from behind trying to snap one on her, but she tossed him down the path. "I'm not going to let you silence me no matter what!"

"EVO pest! We're going to through you into The Hole and torture you for the rest of your miserable life!" the Pawns growled.

"Look whose talking Robot Number Five! I'm going to enjoy turning into a reading lamp!"

"Save some for me! I haven't had this much fun kicking butt in a long time. This mission rocks, literally!" Wingman said with a powerhouse kick. He pulled out some bungee cords and climbing gear. Holstering his weapon he managed to knot the cords around their waists then pulled them through a belay. The actions surprised the agents who found themselves pulled halfway up a cliff face unable to move. Gunfire rang as he pulled out his knife, "Hey how are the rest of you doing?"

"I think after this I might take Chaos on a real date. Her clumsiness just took out the Keep's main weapon while damaging a rotor," Skywwd hummed with admiration.

"Oh don't be so modest; your tentacles and smoke screen caused quite a bit of damage. Black Knight must be furious. What about the rest of you?"

"Both sets of jump jets are secure. I'm sending them back to Providence ASAP. Only without their dangerous toys," Spyder told them.

"Has anyone seen Black Knight? She's known for being active in the field, so where is she?" App questioned. Suddenly the air was supercharged. A series of explosions was heard along with the clash of weapons. Smoke billowed into the air, but not before Cricket managed to see what was going on.

"Black Knight's is doing battle against The Six and Generator! And she's in EVO mode with Pawns armed to teeth will killer guns!"

* * *

While the others had been achieving their goals Generator had managed to help his family out of the canyon and over the rock slide back towards their jump jet. There had been a minor "scuffle" between the family for onlookers where Dos had slipped the Meta Nanite to Generator. He had just secured it to his utility belt when Black Knight attacked with her energy whip.

Seconds before it would have bludgeoned Dos's head Generator wrapped his Blast Caster to intercept her. The two voltage weapons clashed with one another causing an energy surge that the group saw. With his free hand he formed his BFS, but she used her energy sword to eat up that build. Generator took a step back bringing up his Block Party as she used her cannon to strike him down with lasers.

"You're powers are nothing compare to mine! I may have been the second guinea pig, but my powers are the upgraded version of yours. You can't beat me! I'm too strong!"

"Do you enjoy the sound of your own voice or do you like to boast how pathetic you really are?" Generator quipped. Black Knight's eyes glowed purple as she brought up her sword to behead him.

Six blocked her attack twisting her blade away and whirling around to stab her. He formed them together striking them down dissipating the build. Reacting she allowed her momentum to set her up for a strike nailing Six in the gut with a sharp kick. "Well what a surprise seeing you working with your siblings. I thought that you guys left the mercenary game. Unless of course you're after the same thing I am."

A loud chord struck full force knocking her backwards into an open sink hole. Black Knight scrambled up and out firing her cannon, but turned her guitar on the side smashing it so hard she nearly broke the guitar, but it had the desired effect. "What's the matter love? Did I break your hand? Too bad I wanted to break your leg instead."

"Leave the legs for me. I'm good at ripping the limbs remember?" Trey laughed as he smacked her with her belly. Black Knight snapped ordering her Pawns to kill them.

"Fighting automatons? How pathetic are you Blake? If this is the best you can do," IV said, shooting his bandages inside the Pawns. Spreading his hands wide the bandages tore the Pawns apart. Unfortunately they were upgraded reassembling themselves firing their guns at them. Dos joined his brother firing his laser and performing some dangerous strikes for a man his age.

Six and Generator were squaring off against Black Knight who had both her whip and sword out. "How did you know about the Meta Nanite? Who hired you to retrieve it? Was it the Consortium?"

"Whomever hired us isn't your concern. What should be your concern is making it out of her alive!" Six dove into the attack slashing his katannas as Generator used his Funchucks. Black Knight swipe at Six while using her whip on Generator. Smoke started to billow as the machines clashed with one another.

It was deadly dance with Six and Generator managing to land a few blows on the woman, but she used her powers in a weird way by attempting to bind them together. She wrapped her whip around the sword for an added punch. Her legs also managed to land some serious hits. But she was losing. In a burst of frustration she let loose a bolt of purple energy.

The attack missed Six who got out of the way, but it overloaded Generator's protective field. Parts of his power suit started to shred at alarming rates, burns were appearing. His cowl was starting to partially dissolve. In seconds his identity would be revealed.

"At last, I'll know who you are!" Black Knight shouted just as cloud of nanite ink spread throughout the area joined by a serious of smoke bombs. Jammers were activated to confuse machines, but she managed to snap a blurry image with a pawn head as The Six and Gears vanished. Her remaining troops huddled around her.

"What are your orders Ma 'me? Oof!" The agent asked as the head was shoved into his chest.

"Take that back to Providence and clean up the last image it recorded. Once we have identified Generator it will be easy to retrieve all four Meta Nanites. Nothing is going to stop me from gaining the power of a god!" she bellowed half crazed.


	9. Failsafe

It was Friday afternoon, two days after the mission to retrieve the fourth Meta Nanite. Holiday had been working on repairing Rex's power suit glad that the damage wasn't as severe as they first thought. It should be finished before they had to drop Rex off for his visit with Caesar.

Six was concerned for the safety of everyone. Black Knight, might have caught a glimpse of Rex's face, when his cowl started to melt. He and his siblings were on their guard waiting for an imminent attack. In fact, everyone at Hope was. The facility was aware of the fact they had four Meta Nanites. Once they figured out where the fifth one was they would bring it to the facility, then the task of destroying them would begin. Having such dangerous tech around everyone down to the lowest lab tech was carrying some sort of protection.

The Gears were anxious. School would be starting a week from Monday. It would be difficult if not impossible to carry out their mission if stuck in a classroom for eight hours. They had hooked the scanner directly into Hope's satellite system scanning the entire planet over and over. That Meta Nanite had to be somewhere!

Beverly was typing code furiously as she watched her split screens. She was keeping one eye on the scanner and the other on Providence. She was trying to find out if Rex's identity had been exposed however her hacking skills weren't helping her as much. She wasn't sure if it was an updated system or if she was too distracted to figure it out. "I can't call myself a hacker if I can't find a way to balance two different programs at once. How's the search going? Has something changed?"

"Nothing yet, the scanner hasn't lit up," Annie replied.

"I'm wondering if we need to recalibrate the scanner. It keeps zeroing in on the Hope Base. I think it might be having trouble differentiating from the Meta Nanites we have and the one still out there," Claire stated. She was already tinkering with the scanner trying to do just that.

"I don't get it, Jacob's scanner has worked fine up to this point. The guy is a genius when it comes to engineering. Why would it start malfunctioning now?" Noah asked the group. The others shrugged not having an answer for him.

While the others threw out some ideas about fixing the scanner one member was being quiet. Rex was sitting down on the couch with a faraway look on his face. He had his hands clasped together with his head resting on them. He was deep in thought. He could hear the whispers of the Meta Nanites talking in the back of his mind. Their words were confusing him. "_Mechanical is here already. Why are we not merged with Control Unit? We seek to be united!" _

"Mechanical is here already? What does that mean? Could it be that…?" Rex started to whisper to himself when he felt someone sit down next to him. He glanced up to see Circe looking at him with a worried expression.

"Rex are you okay? Something seems to be bothering you. We'll find the last Meta Nanite I promise. Once we have all five we can destroy them freeing your brother from his bargain. It's going to be okay, you'll see."

He squeezed her hand letting Circe know everything was fine. "I'm okay, you don't need to worry about me. I think this nightmare will be over sooner then you think." Circe looked at him confused as Rex stood up. The elevator doors opened as Holiday and Six walked into the base. "I'm glad you're here. I think I know where the fifth Meta Nanite is."

"You do? That's fantastic Rex, where is it?" Holiday asked excitedly.

Rex opened his mouth to reply when an explosion rocked the base. Fires erupted as the building shook itself. Several lights blew out. Pieces of the base started to collapse. The computer sputtered then went down. Everyone screamed as Rex plastered his hands on the wall. His technopathy went throughout the building assessing the damage. What he discovered wasn't good. "The building is under attack! Providence is bearing down on us. Most of our defenses were taking out by a missile strike. Secondary systems are coming online now. We need to get out of here before the elevator shuts down."

"Understood. This Agent Six addressing all personal. We're under siege by Providence. They are here to steal the Meta Nanites. We can't allow them to achieve this objective. Initiate Battle Plan 1. I repeat Battle Plan 1." Battle Plan 1 was serious. It authorized the use of lethal force.

More explosions rocked the building as the Pawns marched into the building shooting lethal weapons. They met with a stiff wall of resistant. Bobo was leading the field agents with a heavy duty Broiler type weapon. "You think you robots can storm my house without getting into trouble? Think again. Activate security protocol Bobo's Party House!"

Out of the walls popped out lasers, buzz saws, flamethrowers. Spikes shot of the floor impaling some of the Pawns. With a battle cry Bobo charged forward blasting away. Throughout the building Dos, Trey, IV, and Five were using the traps to help them take out the robotic army.

In the Petting Zoo Dr. Rhodes was in the fight of her life against Elite Pawns. These were more durable, faster, and stronger. They fired lethal rounds at the scientist as she returned fire. The EVOs in the Zoo let out cries of fury as they went after the enemy. They wanted payback for all the pain that the collars had done to them.

A giant frog EVO hopped on top of two Pawns crushing them beneath its weight. It spat its long tongue out whipping it around flinging the Pawns into the wall. It groaned letting out a croak as bullets tore through its skin.

Three giant moths started scattering dust from their wings on their foe clogging up their circuits. A flying fish tore the head off another. Two mutated deer with sharp teeth and giant antlers protected Rhodes when the Pawns aimed for her heart and head. "Thanks Bucky. You monsters have a lot of nerve coming in here to hurt my friends!"

"You're quips mean nothing to us. Our objective is to destroy Hope and retrieve the Meta Nanites. Eliminating personal achieves that," one Pawn responded tossing an incendiary device. The device exploded setting the whole Petting Zoo on fire. Dr. Rhodes was blown clear across the habitat slamming into a wall crumbling under a ton of rubble. Seeing that the human was dead they moved on to the rest of the base. The Elites didn't notice Rhodes being dug out by the EVOs and taken to safety.

The engineer staff lab resembled the aftermath of bombing. Jacob had been trying to control the base's outside defenses. He had fired an electromagnetic pulse to take out Providence's attack ships, but they were shielded. He was reduced to using cannon fire. He lined up another jump jet in his crosshairs firing. The jet didn't have time to react as it was blown to pieces. The man tried to ignore the feeling he might have just killed someone praying to God that robots were manning the ships.

A scream filled the room. Jacob turned around in time to see several of his friends be struck down by Black Knight's cannon. The woman's indigo eyes were glowing as she grinned manically. "I haven't had this much fun in ages! Tell me where the Meta Nanites are now!"

"I'll never give a mad woman like you them!" Jacob responded. He grabbed his blaster from off the table firing at her. Black Knight side stepped the attack forming her whip slapping the weapon away. Jacob drew back his fist to punch her when she formed her sword. She stabbed him in the side twisting the blade as the energy sword dug into his side.

Black Knight looked at the man on the floor in front of her before kicking him in the head. She pulled out a device from her belt looking at it for a few minutes. "The Meta Nanites are in a vault just down the corridor from here. Destroy this room and set up the charges. You five, come with me. We're going to get those Meta Nanites."

They found the vault room in lock down mode behind titanium gates. Lasers cannons fired at her trying to take the group out. The Elite Pawns activated a series of force shields that blocked the attack. One member slipped by towards the wall pulling out wires and tearing apart the connections. The cannons stopped, but the door refused to budge. Coming to far Black Knight blasted the through the doors entering the smoke filled rooms.

Standing protectively in front of the vault with grim expressions of their faces were the Gears along with Six and Holiday. They narrowed their eyes on the intruder's weapons out and in fighting stances. "How dare you attack our base and try to kill our friends and family. If you think we're going to let you take those Meta Nanites you're gravely mistaken," Holiday hissed.

"I take what I want Holiday you know that. I should have realized it sooner who was getting in my way. My mistake was underestimating you fools. It won't happen again. I'm taking back what's mine along with Rex. After all, it is his scheduled visit with Caesar."

Generator's eyes narrowed. "I'm not about to let you use me as leverage against my brother. You're going to have to come and get me," the teen growled. He formed his Blast Castor going after Black Knight. The evil lady attacked with her whip. Another explosion as Generator formed his Rex Ride. He drove at her with his battering room, but she dodged out of the way.

Six and Holiday were on her in seconds. Forming an X, Six used the magnetic feature to hurl broken pieces of equipment at her. She jumped up towards the ceiling grabbing a light. She swung around onto a robot arm coming after him. Six dodged out of the way as Holiday fired her weapon. Black Knight formed her cannon firing back as Six deflected the laser with his sword. The two mercenaries went after one another with killer intent.

Siren and Cricket worked back to back against one Elite Pawn. The Pawn fired a collar gun trying to take them out, but the girls dodged. Cricket used his her legs to do a spin kick followed up by a cross. The Pawn twisted to the right as Siren fired a sonic blast. The new shielding protected the robot as it lined up a shot. Siren back bended then flipped to safety as a collar with a muzzle was sent her way. She slashed down then flung out her weapon. The Elite grabbed it pulling her towards him firing the collar gun. It snapped in place shocking her.

"Time to get rid of you," the Pawn whispered upping the voltage. He didn't even blink as Cricket came after him. Soon both girls were screaming as the collars zapped them. Their bodies couldn't take much more of this as they fell to the ground twitching and dying.

Another Elite was going after Tuck and Skywwd. The two friends had combined their talents going high and low after their attacker. Tuck ignored the pain as his body armor started to fail. The nanites were having difficulty staying together for some reason. "We've got to end this fast! Take that robot out now!"

"Don't have to tell me twice," Skywwd snarled slashing with his tentacles. He chased after the Elite forgetting his training. The Elite did a split kick striking both of them in the neck. Firing a different type of gun the two found themselves stuck to the wall in braces. Tuck started screaming as his caught on fire and Skywwd found himself being squeezed to death.

Chaos and App were going after the Elites with everything they had. None of their tricks were working as their weapons were sent flying. Their martial arts weren't having any effect. Both girls were soon defeated as the Pawn shot them with knock out gas.

Spyder interface failed her as she tried to protect the vault with Wingman. Their power suits had taken a beating as they fought the Elites. Spyder had tried to hack the Pawns only to be locked out. Wingman drove his knife into the robots legs trying to cut them down, but received a punch to the gut for his trouble.

"We…can't…let…them get those Meta Nanites!" Wingman barked. He shot out his grappling lines charging them with his protective field. The Pawns dodged them and Spyder's rocket boot kick. Spyder twisted around clawing at them only to get shot out in the shoulder. Wingman stood in front of the vault refusing to budge.

The Elites gave him a beating. Wingman's suit was overloaded as he crumbled. They tore off the vault door securing the Meta Nanites. They turned to see Black Knight inject Six and Holiday with a poison. The two adults were on the floor losing consciousness. Generator, in fury attacked them only to end up unconscious by an EMP wave. She tried to collar him only for it to fall off useless. Growling she threw him over her shoulder. "Let's go, we got what we came for. Set this building to explode a minute after we leave," she commanded. She was smirking as they left the building. She secured her prize as they flew towards the Consortium Base anticipating her soon to be god like powers.

* * *

Consciousness slowly returned to Rex. He could hear people talking around him. His skin prickled as he felt something scan him. He smelled the faint scent of blood and ozone around him. When he breathed in the air tasted recycled. His eyes tried to open up, but he felt weak and tired. Something sharp stabbed him in the gut. His nanites responded to the threat pushing it out and healing the wound. Finally he was able to wake up.

Rex's head rolled to the side a bit as his eyes started to focus. A harsh light was shining in his face, but was quickly removed. He blinked a few times before he could finally make out where he was. He was in the Nanite Team's lab restrained on an upright gurney. His power suit was deactivated leaving him in his civilian clothes. An IV drip was attached to his hand feeding him something that was keeping his body weak. Standing in front of him looking at him with confusion was the Nanite Team except for Caesar. Black Knight was also there flocked by a few Elite Pawns looking at him with dark curiosity.

"Ah so your finally awake. I was beginning to wonder if the special cocktail we devised had put you into a coma. You're certainly a surprising individual Rex. I have to admit I'm impressed by the control you have over your nanites."

Van Kliess was muttering to himself as he stared at the nanite sample they had taken. "Giant robots and power suits, sounds like a kids cartoon yes? Oh my special nanites, nice then anything I've ever seen."

"Van Kliess focus now! Do you have an explanation about Rex's powers or not? Every test we've run indicates his nanites aren't active, yet I witnessed him using his builds against me!"

Van Kliess straightened up bowing slightly to the woman. He brushed his long bangs out of his face. "I apologize my lady. We all assumed that Rex's nanites had turned off after the Event and needed to be switch on. The opposite is true, his nanites are on and somehow he's able to turn them off so to speak. He literally controls the operational status of his nanites something no one else can do. He in a sense; is both an EVO and normal at the same time, choosing what he wants to be."

Both Rylander and Meechum were also speechless as they looked their equipment readouts. Meechum waved a wand of some kind over the teen tapping a few keys on it. "His nanite program has completely changed from what it once was. They've incorporated a secondary program into their system's matrix with no conflicts. Dare I say, his nanites are further developed then when he was originally infused with them."

"You're not imagining it. Even without the incorporation of the Omega inside him his nanite network has created a perfect symbiosis with perfect human to machine interface. Even with our prep work I doubt the nanite network with the Consortium is this stable. I don't know if it could be replicated to ensure a safe transfer of power from the Meta Nanites."

"You better figure it out fast. The Consortium will be here any minute and I promised them all five Meta Nanites when they arrived," Black Knight warned. The doors to the lab opened an in walked Caesar, pulling on his vest. "Listen, I'm sorry to have to leave you in a lurch, but I've got to go pick up Rex and I'll be right ba… What the heck? Rex?!"

"Caesar, I'd say it was good to see you, but under the circumstances I'd be lying," Rex moaned. His head as pounding as he weakly struggled to get out of the restraints. He saw his brother rush over to him checking him over. He never saw Caesar look that angry or frightened before.

"What the heck is going on Black Knight?! Why do you have my brother strapped to the gurney under heavy anesthesia? What the, have you guys been poking and prodding him with instruments?! I demand an explanation right now!"

Black Knight snapped her fingers. One of the Elite Pawns separated the brothers holding Caesar's arms behind him. She glared at him. "Don't get in my face Salazar. If you want to know the truth ask you brother. After all he's been lying to you for months now."

"Rex, what is she talking about? Mijo, please talk to me." Rex looked away from him trying to form words, but his mouth wasn't working. Getting impatient Black Knight responded for him.

"Your brother's an EVO Caesar, not just any EVO. He's Generator: Leader of the Gears and has been responsible for stealing all the Meta Nanites. I retrieved them along with your brother after I went to Hope's base."

Caesar looked at his brother incredulous. "Is that true baby brother? You lied to me?" Rex didn't answer verbally, instead he partially morphed his hand before returning it to normal. Confusion was written all over the elder Hispanic's face. "I don't understand Rex. Why did you lie about being an EVO? Why dress up and play hero?"

Rex's nanites were starting to counter act the sedative so he managed to focus a bit more. He licked his lips moisturizing them before answering. "Why? Because I wanted a normal life. If Providence knew what I could do; cure EVOs and build machines, I would have been locked up or turned into a weapon for their use. How could I trust you with my secret knowing your rather control EVOs then let them be? Have you seen the damage your collars cause? As much as I love being normal my sense of duty wouldn't let me just sit around doing nothing."

"But how have you kept your secret for so long? I don't understand how you managed to hide your powers and fool sensors."

"Sheer willpower and intense training. You can look for a scientific explanation, but that's the only one that exists."

Black Knight marched over grabbing the teen's face making him look at her. "Enough, our sensors indicated that there were five Meta Nanites at Hope. My Pawns tore that place apart from top to bottom. I only found four so where's the fifth? Where are you hiding it?!"

"Its closer than you think Ms. Black Knight. Of course the shimmering lights and talking to machines oh what a delight. Removing it will be messy. No we don't want to kill the child that might destroy the nanite. Maybe if we ask nicely it will come out?" Van Kliess muttered clicking his fingers together. Everyone looked at him confused wondering what he was going on about now.

"He means the fifth Meta Nanite is in me," Rex whispered. "I suspected the truth for a day now. My earliest memory is waking up in a crater with EVOs coming after me. I always thought the light that saved me was blue, but now I see it was purple. The infusion of the Meta Nanite scared them off and saved my life. It's because of the Meta Nanite that I can hear them, know their pain and desires. The Meta Nanites are desperate to join. They need one another like a family."

"I think the anesthesia is getting to you little brother. I may have programmed the nanites with adaptive AI, but they're not alive."

"Depends on your definition of life. I know they're alive and that they don't want to merge with the Consortium."

"Well it's not up to you is it child? Since we can't tear it out of you we will just put you in the cyclotron. The machine will pull it right out of you and merge it with the others. Prep him for the procedure. I have to go prepare for our guests," Black Knight said turning away. Caesar pulled himself free grabbing her arm. She turned around forming her sword. "Don't push me Salazar. You knew what you were getting into when you made this deal."

"The procedure wasn't designed for pulling nanites out of people. The process might harm Rex permanently!"

"Then I'm sure you'll make sure it doesn't now won't you? Don't look so upset Salazar. As soon as the Consortium have what they want you can take your brother and go wherever you want. The Hayashi's won't be able to stop you now that they're permanently out of the picture."

"What did you do?" Caesar asked fearfully.

"Got rid of the problem. I thought that's what you wanted." Caesar took a step back clutching his chest. His face was white as sheet and the others looked sick as they realized what she must mean. A strange laugh caused them to turn to look at Rex.

* * *

The teen's eyes were glowing white and his inflections changed when he spoke. "Overconfident and a braggart still Blake? Your desire for destruction is only matched by your delusional beliefs of superiority. It's the reason you go overboard with your kills. You lack true skill, which is why it was so easy to defeat you with just one hand."

"Rex? Is that you?"

"No…it can't be! You're dead! How is it possible you live on in this brat?" Black Knight snarled, her cannon formed pointing it straight at the teen's throat. The teen didn't even look frightened. He actually seemed bored.

"Still can't control your impulses. I was the most dangerous person on the planet. I killed dictators, rescued innocent hostages and hunted down rapists and serial killers. I trained the greatest mercenaries in the world. I was able to hold off my EVO instincts for five years until my grandson almost sacrificed himself for me. If I was able to transform my body into plant life you think I couldn't leave a part of myself inside the one I chose to be the next One?" One challenged her.

"This is impossible, its rogue programming. Data left over from a transfer," Caesar whispered.

"I don't care what it is, I'm more worthy than any of your students. I'm going to be a god!"

One laughed before rocking the gurney backwards. He then pitched forward striking down Black Knight. He spun around as the Elite Pawns tried to restrain him using the sharp blades they carried to release his restraints. Flipping over the Pawns he went after Rylander punching him in the arms and stomach locking up the chi paths along with the limbs. He swung himself around his IV drip catching Meechum in the back. Flipping the pole over he kicked off the bag and legs. Spinning it around him deflected VK's metal gauntlet slamming the pole into his foot then the other end in his face. With a twist and twirl the EVO scientists found himself plastered to the ceiling. One turned to face Caesar, his eyes frowning. Black Knight had recovered smiling evilly as Caesar was held in the clutches of an Elite Pawn holding a syringe full air. Inject that in him and he die instantly.

"I would give up now. You could properly live with Salazar's blood on your hands, but I doubt Rex could. Oh and you might want to think about this. I blew up the Hope base with your precious children inside. With them gone Rex has no one except his brother. So, are you going to give up or fight to the end?"

One/Rex surrendered allowing himself to be cuffed by the Elite. Black Knight strode over to him before smacking him in the face. "Have I finally proved myself to you pathetic old man?"

With blood dripping down his face One stared back at her with pity. "Being ruthless doesn't make you dangerous just reckless. My children are better than you for the same reason I'm able to protect my grandson. They all have the capacity to care and love another, that's how I transferred my knowledge and skills into him. He and they have faith in the possibility of humanity's growth. They fight not for themselves, but others. You say you've killed them, but I know in my soul they are alive. When I can no longer protect Rex, they will."

"Enough! Take him to the cyclotron!"

As they started to march out One stopped. "Last words please?" He looked at Caesar with both pity and disgust. "Young man, I've seen the world through my grandson's eyes. I know what kind of person he is and his hopes for the person you could be. My words are the same ones I gave Blake long ago. Those who disregard the rules are trash, but those who abandon their family and comrades are worse than trash. I think about that as you watch the world loses its last hope." The glowing white light vanished replaced by brown ones.

"Rex, are you okay?" Caesar asked. His brother jerked away saying nothing. Caesar followed into the cyclotron extraction and insertion room. The other members of the Nanite team were finishing the prep work. He ignored the arguing going on between Black Knight or the fuss being made by the others. All he saw as he strapped his brother looking at him with pure hatred. Caesar's heart was heavy and breaking as he closed the pod door. Refusing to look back he headed to the lab. "It will be over soon. The truth will be revealed and this nightmare will end. I only wish it hadn't cost so many lives to do this," he whispered.

* * *

The procedure began as the cyclotron started spinning. Rex could hear the Meta Nanites as they started to merge together. He sensed their joy of being reunited, but something was wrong. They were hesitant to complete the merger, to share their power equally among the Consortium. "What's wrong? If you don't want to merge you don't have to. In fact I beg you not to merge!"

"_Where is the Control Unit? We seek the Control Unit. We can't complete the merge without the Control Unit." _All five of them warned. In Rex's mind he saw the world of the nanites. He could see the five of them clashing against one another unable to hook. A strong force was trying to force them together, but an equally powerful force was trying to separate them.

"_We can't complete the merge. Why are they trying to force it?" _

"I don't understand you. What are you talking about? What Control Unit?!" he shouted. He didn't know that the Nanite Team was listening as he talked from their stations up above. They were all slightly confused by what the boy was saying, though three of them strongly suspected what was going on.

"The procedure is taking longer the expected. The clock pieces spin trying to complete the circle. Why doesn't it work? Why is the power not being shared? Is Rex asking them to not merge?"

"It's not Rex, he's talking to them, but he's got no control over them. If this process isn't complete soon the Meta Nanites might be damaged," Caesar remarked.

"The power levels to the cyclotron are spiking. The Consortium members are starting to receive the power of a Meta Nanite, but not all of them. I can't figure out what is going on."

Rylander frowned something caught his attention. He rushed over to a security camera. "Um, did anyone ask for regular troops to come here?" The others looked at him confused. That's when all hell broke loose. The power to the cyclotron was cut causing an explosion. Power went out throughout out the building as the backup generators sputtered to life. Security was down as the Pawns were engaged by regular troops. As the scientists pulled themselves off the floor Caesar rushed over to the consul screaming for his brother. Not getting a response he rushed out of the lab heading for the extraction room.

* * *

In the extraction room all the pods were smoking and have crushed. The teen hero had collapsed to the floor weak. He took in several deep breaths trying to clear his lungs. His eyes were watering from the smoke. He struggled to sit upright. That's when he heard the other pods whoosh open.

The members of the Consortium had been transformed into robot like EVOs. Their color schemes told him what Meta Nanite they had gotten. Black Knight had obviously gotten the mechanical one as she created larger, stronger, and more deadly builds. Hayden-Scott was an orange monster manipulating the mass around him changing the shape and size of the pod around him. Xanubian was a green humanoid robot who was rewinding time around himself. Riddick, in his white form was using gravity to fling scrap metal into the air. Roswell was red and blue manifesting energy around him to produce different elemental attacks.

"Well this is a setback. Only a fifth of the power promised. What did you do you brat?" Roswell demanded angrily. He fired a stream of fire followed by a bolt of lightning at the teen. Rex's eyes dimly glowed white as he managed to roll out of the way. He nearly fell off the walkway, but pulled himself back up.

"I…didn't…do anything. You're missing a piece to the puzzle. A control unit of sorts," Rex whispered. The walkway around him started to change and stretch folding over him. He formed his BFS to slice himself free. He felt himself get picked up and thrown in the ceiling as he fell the process was repeated. A cannon blast struck him in the side injuring him greatly.

Rex formed his Block Party and Punk Busters trying to stand strong. He could sense his brother struggling to get into the room. He kicked Roswell in the chest pushing him back. He blocked Black Knight's attack. When he felt himself getting lifted up he switched to Boogie Pack to fly free. He felt himself being thrown back in time so he switched to the Sky Slider trying to break free. His build was taken away from him as he was blasted through a wall.

Blood was dripping from a large gash on his forehead and he was cradling his right arm close to his chest. When he tried to stand he let out a groan. His ankle hurt. His nanites were working overtime to fix the damage, but for right now he was a sitting duck. As the five of them surrounded him he tried again to tell them what happened. "It wasn't me, something messed with the power flow causing the machine to malfunction. Besides, you're missing a piece. I can't help it if you don't have your full power."

"It doesn't matter if you're telling the truth or not. We need someone to practice our powers out on. In fact, I want to try something new," Black Knight chuckled. Rex watched horrified as they merged into a giant robot. The robot lifted him into the air starting squeeze him to do death. "I'm going to enjoy ending your life. Some number One huh? Where is he now to protect you?"

"My grandfather's greatest power wasn't his physical strength, but his strength in friends!" Rex snarled. Unknown to the five of them an energy net was dropped on top of them. The net instantly started to drain their power as Rex fell to the ground only to be rescued by White Knight.

"You okay kid? You look like you ran the gauntlet," White Knight asked as he turned to look at his troops. Providence was back under his control. The regular agents were firing their weapons at the giant robot. The Keep was trying to pull it into the air only for the net to snap. The robot launched deadly laser blasts teleporting out of the way of the attacks. As they fought it seemed the robot was losing power as they reverted to normal.

"So, you've come to stop us White Knight? You're a little late for that!" Black Knight snarled.

"The services of Providence are no longer required. As of this moment you're all fired!" Hayden-Scott bellowed. He reached out crushing some of the tanks. Xanubian was using his time powers to turn attacks back on the troops. Roswell's energy manipulation was causing things to blow up or melt. Ice also formed forcing the Keep to retreat. Lastly Riddick was about to use gravity to crush them when sonic attack caused all them to fall over for a few seconds. The members of the Consortium looked up surprised to see who was hovering in the air near them.

"Leave my son alone you monsters!" Holiday shouted firing a Broiler at the group. Six didn't bother saying anything as he jumped off his hoverboard along with his siblings intent on striking down the Consortium only to be repulsed by a massive gravity/energy/ bullet ridden cyclone. The Gears were also flung in different directions when they tried to do an aerial attack caused by mass manipulation of their rides and time rewinding a bit.

This wasn't a fight they could win at this time. Six gave the order. "We got what we came for, we'll deal with them later. Let's go!" Both Providence and Hope retreated leaving the Consortium with the win of the battle, but not the war.

* * *

They retreated to a partly destroyed Hope. Black Knight had done her best to destroy the base entirely. White Knight's team had done their best to make the base operational. He had wanted to return to Providence, but the Hayashi's overruled him saying that it didn't have the right equipment for treating their son.

Rex was in a lot of pain after being anesthetized for so long then having a Meta Nanite ripped out of him. Coupled with his injuries from the beat down they were amazed he was still standing. Luckily the auxiliary base hadn't suffered much damage so they could use that to keep track of the Consortium movements while Rex healed in the med bay.

It was late Sunday night by the time he was healed enough to leave the bay. Rex entered the room a bit worse for wear. He was greeted by his friends and family. He noticed White Knight off to the side giving him strange looks while having a conversation with Captain Callan.

Rex walked over and held out a hand to the man. "I want to thank you for helping to save my life back there. I know it couldn't have been easy for you."

"I owed your father a favor for all the help he'd given us. I'm still a little sore about what you and your punk friends put us through."

"Don't be like that White Knight. Rex and his Gears saved our lives more times than I can count. Personally I think your powers are pretty cool. I want to thank you for what you did that time at the chemical plant," Callan said taking the teen's hand and shaking it.

"Warm fuzziness all around won't help us defeat the Consortium. While you've been recovering they've been on a rampage. In the last day and half they've managed to steal billions of dollars, destroyed property and have basically tried to take over the world. There not going to give up until the world bows to them."

Beverly brought up the video footage of the police trying to stop the Consortium and failing miserably. Claire and Holiday were going over sensor readings trying to figure out a weakness, but they weren't finding any. Meanwhile Annie was reviewing the information on the Consortium Base with the Backups. Noah was talking with The Six trying to come up with a strategy to beat them.

Rex's eyes narrowed as he held Circe's hands. "They're not going to stop until the world is their own. We have to stop them before they gain the Meta Nanites full power."

Circe looked at him skeptically. "You're saying this isn't their full power?" Rex shook his head explaining that they only got a fifth of the power they expected. They were also not immortal like they hoped for. "I see, so that means they're going to return to the Consortium Base to try the procedure again. Still, won't the results be the same? You said they were missing a piece of the puzzle, a control unit correct?"

Rex nodded. "I'm not entirely certain what that is, but I have a pretty strong hunch. Something tells me my brother and the other nanite experts are running out of time."

"Who cares about them? I mean besides Rylander and Meechum, do you really want to risk your life for your brother and Van Kliess?" Noah asked his friend. Then he rolled his eyes answering his own question. "Of course you do, your hero complex won't let you do otherwise. Alright I'm in and so is everyone else. How exactly do you want to handle this one Rex?"

"Excuse me, but I think I need to say something before this madness gets any further," White Knight interjected. Six interrupted his friend clearing his throat a bit before speaking. "White, you have to trust us."

"I'd like to Six, really, but someone's got to be realistic. None of us were able to stand up to the Consortium before so why should this time be different? I have Providence back under my control, but Black Knight has an army of collared EVOs to server her along with thousands of Pawns. The Consortium Base is heavily fortified and they're super strong and dangerous. Even our combined forces aren't enough to tackle so many opponents at once. Without an army of our own we're not going to get even close the base let alone inside to steal back those Meta Nanites!"

"Then we'll just speed dial our army right now chump," Bobo remarked. He twirled around his laser pistols before putting them in their holsters giving the guy a strange look. "What? You didn't wonder how our base survived being blown to bits or how we managed to get around so fast. We've got a hidden ace. Yo Circe, call her."

"Already on it," Circe said dialing a number on her phone. "It's time, bring everyone into the base. See you in a few." Giant red portals started popping up all over the base. Out of them walked members of Green Fist, the rest of the engineers from the hidden village, even Surge and a few of his EVOs from Aquina that could survive on land. Security footage showed multiple EVOs settling into the Petting Zoo. Humans in a variety of uniforms from different countries also appeared. The last one to step out of a portal was Breach smiling. "Good job Breach."

"Anything for my best friend in the whole world. Hi Rex, nice to see you're okay. Why does the robot man look so flabbergasted?" Breach asked curiously.

Callan blinked a few times before blurting out, "Don't you work for Van Kliess? What are you doing helping out Hope? I'm so confused."

Circe smiled her eyes twinkling as she answered his question. "Breach has been working for us for a while now. When she escaped from the Assault on Abysus we asked her to go into hiding. For the past few weeks she's been secretly collecting EVOs from the wild along with our allies keeping them safe in her pocket dimension deploying them where and when they need to be. It was because of her quick actions sending the bombs into outer space that our base survived destruction."

"I would do anything for my best friends. I've tried portaling into the Consortium Base, Rex's brother has a scattering field keeping me from getting inside. If you can disable it, I could get you in no problem."

"That will be one of our priorities. Dad, I'm sure you have a plan so why don't you share it with everyone assembled." Six nodded activating the holo displays all over the base. The PA system crackled to life as everyone stood at attention as he spoke to them.

"Greetings allies old and new. As you know the Consortium has obtain the Meta Nanites and are trying to take over the world. Right now they only have a fifth of the power they wish. In order to gain the full power they plan on repeating a dangerous procedure in their base mostly likely early tomorrow. We can't allow this to occur. You will divide into different groups, each with their own objectives."

"Serge will lead the EVO army against their collared brethren with Green Fist aiding him. Your objective is simple. Free any collared EVOs, if they refuse to help us, then knock them out. Both Providence and Hope agents will battle the Pawn army. They are battle droid robots programmed to never give up and will kill you given the chance. Fight with everything you have because they won't hold back. The remainder of the human troops will help the Engineers take out the bases defensive systems. No heroics, if your life is in danger protect it first before proceeding with your mission."

Holiday took over for her husband holding onto his arm. Fierce determination in her eyes. "Once inside the building The Six and The Gears will complete the mission. My sister, her friends Claire, Annie, and Noah will secure the nanite team to prevent their interference with the mission. The Six and their students, including my husband, Bobo, and I will take on the Consortium. We'll get those Meta Nanites out of them before they have a chance to blink."

"I hate to rain down on a wonderfully violent plan, but aren't you overlooking a key detail love. Even if we get the Meta Nanites out of them how do we destroy them? They're not listening to anyone."

"Five is right. Not even the Consortium can fully control them. What makes you think anyone of us can make them work for us? We don't have the control unit," IV pointed out darkly.

"That's why I'm going to put them inside of me," Rex whispered. Everyone looked at him in surprise and worry. "It has to be me. I'm the first EVO, the most complete. If anyone has a chance of controlling the Meta Nanites long enough to shut them down it has to be me."

"Rex, no the Dominion Code was designed to turn a person into a god. If they don't fry your mind you could lose touch with your humanity. The power could make you a threat and we'd have to kill you. Please don't do this," Circe begged him. His friends all voiced similar concern, but Rex formed his Smack Hands clapping them together silencing them.

"I understand the risks more than anyone in this building could understand. I've touched the Meta Nanites consciousness. I know how dangerous they can be, what I'm risking, but we don't have a choice. The world is more important than any single life including my own. We became the Gears to help those who couldn't help themselves. This is my chance to make up for my family's mistakes. I have to do this no matter what." The look in his eyes was deadly serious. He wasn't going to back out of this. Reluctantly they had to agree with his wishes.

* * *

They planned to attack the base at sunrise tomorrow right before the Consortium tried the procedure again. Everyone was preparing for battle including Rex. He was willing to try something new if it meant getting inside the base. But first there was something he had to do. He found his parents in the lab prepping their gear. They looked up at him. For several seconds he didn't say anything.

Suddenly the family fell into a big group hug with them all crying. "Whatever happens tomorrow, if I live or die, I want you two to know something. You're the best parents I could ever ask for. I love you two."

"We love you to Rex. You're the best son we could have hoped for," Holiday whispered stroking his hair. She kissed him gently on the forehead.

"No matter what happens we'll always be a family. I promise you Rex," Six whispered hugging him tightly. Nothing more was said as the family just held together tightly knowing this could be their last night with one another

* * *

Early the next morning the Consortium had gathered in their base. They were still on a high from their recent terror inspiring attack on the world. They liked having their power, but it wasn't enough. They wanted everything that had been promised to them. They were demanding the Nanite Team finish what they started.

"How long until the machine is ready for the procedure?" Black Knight demanded angrily. She was twitching with excitement at the thought of finally becoming a goddess. She was very sore about the fact The Six were still alive. She wanted to eliminate them personally.

"We should be ready to try the procedure again in about ten minutes. We're running a few final tests to ensure nothing goes wrong this time," Meechum responded dully. He hated to be rushed.

"Nothing better go wrong this time. I don't enjoy being a mechanical EVO. I want my old body back," Hayden-Scott said.

"Who cares about how you look? We're about to become immortal so you'll have all the time in the world to change your appearance back to your ugly mug," Roswell pointed out.

"Can you two please stop fighting for the next ten minutes?" Riddick asked. He looked at Xanubian who gave him a carefree shrug. It didn't matter to him if those guys fought. All he cared about was getting more power.

"I assume you've managed to solve the issues from the previous procedure correct? Was your little brother telling the truth about a piece missing? You haven't been lying to me now have you Caesar?" Black Knight demanded with her weapons trained on him.

"I wouldn't lie to you Black Knight. The missing piece has been resolved. You have nothing to worry about this time I promise," Caesar replied.

"All of you just need to sit back and relax. Try to smile if you can," Rylander laughed earning a glare. "Or not, it's up to you."

"Oh look at that we have guests for tea. Should I pull out the fine china?" Van Kliess asked. Everyone looked up at him as he brought up a security footage. Standing on a hill overlooking the base was the entire alliance prepared to fight. "Looks like young Rex is leading the charge. He seems pretty focused."

"Your little brother is very tenacious Salazar, but it won't do him any good. I don't see any reason we should get involved in this. Release our EVO army and activate the defense system. I'll activate my Elite Pawns. You four just finish your jobs!"

* * *

Outside Rex stared down as the doors to the base opened up and out poured hundreds of collared EVOs. From different parts of the base weapons emerged as a whole battalion of Black Pawns appeared on foot, hoverboards, and drone ships. Behind him everyone tensed in anticipation.

He activate the power suit tapping into its full power for his newest build. Light emanated from his body as he transformed into a giant robot. Holding up a fist he fired a powerful energy blast into the center of the enemy forces. He nodded to Serge who shouted, "Charge!" The alliance surged forward as the final battle began.

Serge fired an echolocation blast twirling around his coral staff. With a battle cry he jumped into battle bringing his weapon down on the neck of his foe denting the device. He wrapped his eel like appendages underneath the EVO's neck ignoring the pain as the beast tried to eat him ripped the device off. He used his powers to commune with the creature telling it they were friends and to help the others. The beast nodded rushing off to aid them. One EVO freed, hundreds to go.

Valentina was in her element as she windmill kicked a charging two headed bull. She rolled to the side using her whip to redirect the beast. Next she flipped over three stork EVOs. Using the back of one she tossed out several flower bundles in a circle. With a crack of the whip the bundles exploded knocking out several EVOs. Landing on the ground she found herself against a giant gorilla EVO trying to kill her. She got knocked back several feet her shoulder screaming in pain as it nearly wrenched out of her socket. Out of nowhere her partners appeared tossing bolas tying up the EVO. The two of them tended to the injury as they continued to fight.

All around them it was a menagerie of chaos and confusion. EVO vs. EVO doing whatever it took to survive their fight. Teeth clashed, plant pods exploded, and shouts of victory were heard as more EVOs were freed from their collars. The battle was dragging on as the fight between EVOs crossed paths with the Elite Pawns and the troops.

* * *

On the ground Callan led the agents shouting out orders as he tore the head off another Pawn before busting the legs off another. A Hope agent dived in front of him to protect him from a fatal shot managing to take the hit in a less vital spot. Turning around Callan fired his laser cannon blowing the robots up. "Time to turn you into scrap metal you stupid robots."

In the skies above White Knight personally manned the Keep's weapon system. He had locked onto another drone ship firing the beam of deadly energy beam. The drone ship blew up as he fired at another drone. The Keep's alarms started blaring as they took some well-placed shots from the Pawns on hoverboards. "Can't you do anything about the smaller targets? I can't fire get a good lock on them.

"We're using the smaller cannons, but they're very fast and agile. We're wasting ammo, more than anything!" an agent shouted.

"I'm not going to let a punch of robots beat me! Think of something fast!" White Knight shouted. He turned his attention back to the main screen. Five Elite Pawns were making their way to the Keep when they were blasted to smithereens. Two of the drones that had been trying to take out the Keep's rotors crumbled to dust in seconds. "What in the world just happened?"

The answer to his question flew in front of him giving him a salute. Generator, in his full robot form, had taken out the two attack drones while his friends had managed to destroy the other Elites. The teen reverted his human form flying away on his Boogie Pack using his Bad Axes to cut through the skies to reach the base. "I guess the kid isn't so bad after all.

* * *

On top of the base The Six and Gears worked to protect Jacob and the other engineers as they worked their magic. The security system was unlike anything they had ever encountered before. Sections of the room would super heat or freeze at different intervals. Trap doors opened and the weapons firing were high grade. Six, Holiday, and Bobo found themselves fighting in triangle formation as they protected Jacob.

"Bobo hasn't had this much fun in a long time! This party is off the hook."

"Less chatter, more attacking! How much longer until the entire system is shut down?" Holiday asked as she hurled an explosive disk inside a cannon that popped up a few feet in front of her.

"My team is working as fast as we can. This is unlike anything we've encountered before. Cut one section out another takes over for it. I need more time to ahhhhh!" he was being zapped by the wires as Six pulled him free.

"We're out of time. We need to take out the system now! Dos, can you and the others create an opening for us while taking out the scrambler field?" Six asked in com link.

"I thought you never ask brother. It would be an honor," Dos said. He had just pulled his cane out of a cannon as it exploded. Using his hidden blade he deflected a beam from another as Siren used her powers to blow another away. "Siren we need to create an opening. Focus your powers on a single spot until you break through!"

Siren nodded concentrating on the X her mentor had cut into the roof. Adjusting her frequency she started screaming away. The metal started to buckle a tiny bit, but refused to break. She was forced to give up in order to conserve her strength as the other appeared on the scenes. "I couldn't break through. Can you handle it?"

"Nothing stops Trey from breaking through. Let's bust us a hole Skywwd." The duo started smacking the metal creating a larger dent, but it still refused to open. They were forced back as coils sprouted out holding them tight. IV and Tuck moved in slipping their bandages into pulling as hard as they could. A small hole was opening up as Five and Cricket finished the job tearing the panel off.

"Six get over here we're in!" Five shouted as they all dropped in. Elite Pawns were charging down the corridor towards them when Chaos dropped in. She rolled a small tube towards them setting it off. The electromagnetic bomb friend their circuits as App and Spyder interfaced with the building taking out the internal security. Wingman, Generator and his family dropped in.

* * *

"I just finished talking with the engineers. They managed to finish off the outer defense systems, but they can't cut the power to the procedure room. They also warned us in about three minutes they'll be ready to use it again," Wingman warned them.

"They what are we standing around here for? Let's kick their butts already. Come on, we got a date with some nanite geeks," Spyder stated. The four friends wished the others good luck as they rushed off.

"We'll handled the Consortium, you need to reprogram the machine to accept you as the host for the Meta Nanites. Think you can get to its core and reroute the power to the central pod?" Six asked. Generator nodded before he headed to the lower levels to tinker with the machine. As he did that The Six and their students headed to the extraction room to weaken the Consortium.

* * *

In the control room the Nanite Team was working on the final preparations. In a few minutes it would be over. Caesar's heart was pounding in his chest as the blood rushed to his ears. This had to work! "Is everything set?"

"All systems operational. Pods primed and charged," Meechum said.

"Meta Nanites locked on and ready for extraction," Rylander added.

"Hosts prepared for reinfusion. Calibrating for additional mutations," Van Kliess remarked.

"Then we're ready to begin. Alright I'm starting the process ahhhhhh!" Caesar found his hands wrapped together by a cable as he was pulled from his seat. A stun gun blast frightened the others as they looked up to see the four Gears. For the first time they spoke with their own voices so everyone knew who they were.

"Sorry to interrupt your little science project, but if you think you're going to give the Consortium their full power then you've lost all common sense," Spyder said. She enjoyed the widening of Caesar's eyes as he recognized her voice.

"The same goes for you Van Kliess. I know your faking most of your trouble, but I'm not about to let you get what you want," Wingman challenged him.

"Oh really, whose going to stop me if I do try? You?" Van Kliess asked innocently. The man ripped his collar off as it had been damaged in the previous fight. He shot out his gold arm which was intercepted by Wingman's knife. The two of them began to scuffle in the corner.

Meechum and Rylander looked nervously at the two girlfriends as they approached. Meechum held up his hands taking a step back, "Girls, you really don't have to do this. If you give us a chance to explain you'll see that everything will be alright."

The two looked at one another before laughing. "Yeah that's not going to fly with us," App said. She darted forward hooking her foot around the man tripping him. As he fell she grabbed his arm spinning him around. With a flick of her wrist she nailed him in the chin followed up by her other hand pulling the guy downward. Bringing her knee up into his chest she managed to flip him over her body into a chair where she pulled out a pair of handcuffs locking him into place.

Chaos mirrored Rylander's moves as he tried to get around her. She blocked his path. She reached into her pouch tossing a sticky bomb. Rylander found himself staring at his glued together hands before he was tasered. He lit up like a Christmas tree. He fell on her causing her Taser to go flying. Seeing the incoming projectile Wingman forced Van Kliess to roll over him. The Taser struck his gold hand causing him to also light up before collapsing to the ground.

Spyder struck Caesar in the side with her foot. As he stumbled she twisted around doing another kick, followed up by a palm strike to the chin and cross to the shoulder. Grabbing his head she butted it before shoving him into a chair holding a tonfa at his throat. "You are going to help us Caesar of so help me I'm going to crush your manhood."

"Hey, there's no need for threats! If you give me a chance to explain you understand…"

"Understand that you betrayed your family and the world? Yeah right. I can't believe I thought you were handsome."

"You thought I was handsome? Oh never mind, Beverly please listen to me. I am helping my brother out, just give me a chance to explain!" he said grabbing her arms. She scanned him with her sensors picking up the fact that his biorhythms indicated he was telling the truth. Biting her lip she hauled the guy up and over to the consul. "Start working Caesar. Don't make me regret this."

* * *

In the extraction room The Six fought the Consortium. Each of them were in a private skirmish with their own enemy. They arrived in the room right before they got into the pods. Angered they were being interrupted once more the Consortium was going for the kill.

Cricket jumped out the way grasping the wall with her legs and her mentor in her arms. They were fighting against Roswell. The man was using the energy in the room to shoot fireballs at them. "I'm going to enjoy frying me up some southern fry chicken!" Cricket jumped again as Five let loose a rip from her guitar.

Roswell was pushed back by the force of the music. Not happy he used the energy around him he started to shoot ice, lighting, and fire at them. Cricket landed on the ground blocking Five with her body. The armor on her body was keeping her safe for the most part, but she couldn't handle the pain forever.

"Love! Oh you just made me angry you bloke!" Five snarled at Roswell. She slid under Cricket's legs whipping her guitar around trying to bludgeon Roswell. The man blasted it with ice causing it to shatter. Pissed off she came after him driving her foot into his fist. He reached out to burn her, but she was already moving out of the way. She cartwheeled then pushed off against the pod striking him in the chest. Ignoring the electricity crackling off his body she continually pounded him all over. With a burst of energy he flung her into the base of the pod nearly cracking her skull open.

"Time to put you down little lady; this time for good," Roswell said, flames shooting up in his hands. He took a few steps closer to her when someone jumped on his back scratching and biting him. "Hey ow! What the hey stop ow! Get off me you varmint!"

"Leave my Mom alone you cowboy wannabe!" Cricket snarled. She held on as he tried to buck her off using her clawed feet and hands to dig under his robotic skin. Pulling her head back she whacked him hard causing him to get dizzy. Five finished the job using the broken remains of the guitar to stab him. Both ladies tossed him into the pod where he was automatically restrained followed by a gassing curtsey of App, who had dumped some anesthesia into the air tubes.

"Nice work love and by the way, thanks for calling me mom. I think you're a rocking daughter too," Five said affectionately hugging her.

IV and Tuck were duking it out with Hayden-Scott. The man kept crunching up the walkway altering its matter. IV grunted jumping off the walkway using his bandages to swing up and around smacking him in the backside. Hayden-Scott started glowing as he prepared to fire an anti-matter blast when Tuck wrapped himself all over the man. "Big mistake brat," the man said detonating the blast.

Tuck was on the ground smoking, his bandaged body badly damaged. The body armor had saved his life keeping him from getting the full impact. He narrowed his red eyes shakily getting to his feet forming sharp blades with his arms.

"You really think you can take me you brat?" Hayden-Scott scoffed. He fired more anti-matter blasts which Tuck cut through. IV lashed out with his bandages wrapping them around his foes right arm and left leg pulling them tight with all his might. There was a loud snap as the limbs broke. Tuck shot his bandages out wrapping them around the EVO's neck cutting off his air supply.

Hayden-Scott twisted around trying to alter the bandages mass only for IV to drive his elbows into his eyes braining him. Both of mummies hurled the EVO into the capsule trapping him inside. They grinned at each other at a job well done.

Riddick was getting his ass handed to him by Trey and Skywwd. He thought if he increased the gravity around Trey and decreased it around Skywwd he could beat them. Skywwd used his lightened situation to his advantage moving with ease as he lashed out with his tentacles. He blasted ink cloud shapes at Riddick as Trey bowled him over. The increased gravity made him super heavy nearly crushing the man as he passed out in his tube.

Xanubian thought he had the advantage over Dos and Siren. He would rewind and fast forward time around the two of them. At first their timing was off and they kept crashing into one another. After the third time Siren used her sensors to analyze the attack. After a few seconds she whispered into Dos's ear. "After using his powers, there's a two second delay before he can use them again. If we can land a hit during that delay he's out of the game."

"Understood. Distract him, I'll take him out," Dos commanded. Siren brushed past her mentor elongating her second mouth. Adjusting her power she used her sonic blast. The attack bounced off the walls echoing loudly. The silent man brought his hands up to his head trying to block the sound as Siren got in close using her hooked hands to slash his chest. She got her rope dart to tie him up when he rewound time causing her to go back to the start of the attack. That was the chance Dos was waiting for. He blasted him with the laser in his cane causing man to wind up in the pod. Siren whipped her rope dart around digging into his skin under he fell unconscious from blood loss. They slammed the pod closed.

Black Knight was losing her cool. She was determined to kill Six and Holiday. She let loose an energy swipe at Bobo who ducked firing his lasers. She responded with her own cannon disintegrating his weapons. The EVO chimp frowned as he came after with his bare knuckles. He was going to bowl into her when she kicked him into the doors. "Stupid monkey. Killing him won't bring me any satisfaction."

"As if we'll give you a chance to kill any of us!" Holiday shouted. She fired her two blasters charging forward. She back bent as Black Knight tried to hit her with her clubbed whip. Holiday did the splits still firing. Black Knight fired her cannon only for Six to whip his wife out of the way and slash with his katanas. The blast was deflected.

"Why won't you die?!" Black Knight snarled forming enhanced sword. She slashed down missing Six by inches, but destroying the section of walkway. Spinning around she unleashed more energy as he jumped and dodged about slicing his way through it. Holiday tackled the woman to ground striking her with her fists. Black Knight shoved her off firing but Holiday rolled to the left kicking her in the face. Six landed on Black Knight's shoulders crushing her. Slamming his blades down he destroyed her builds. She twisted to get at him, but it over. With a quick hand dart he did a nerve pinch causing her fall asleep as he shoved her into her pod.

"They're all in the pods out cold. Where are you son?" Six asked in is comlink. He got his response when Generator flew up from down below. He had used his technopathy to rewire the machine. Removing his cowl he looked at his parents

* * *

"Everything's ready, I just need to get into the central pod. Let's hope this works," he whispered. He entered the pod as the girls and Caesar activated the machine. There was a rush of power as the Consortium tried to hold onto their Meta Nanites, but Rex's voice was stronger. He called out to them. "Come to me. Please merge with me."

_"The Control Unit! At last we are one! We are united in our purpose!" _ The Meta Nanites were in bliss as they entered Rex's body. He felt alive as they joined with him synching up with his Omega. His network was charged as he burst out pod floating in the air in blue green light. Power coursed through his body connecting him with everything on the planet. He was a god.

* * *

The Consortium members shouted in anger. Rex turned to them zapping them with his energy control causing them to weaken. A flick of a wrist as their pods were wrenched free. He altered their mass turning the pods into a giant jail cell where mechanical restraints appeared on them. A wave of his hand caused time to reverse returning them to normal.

The doors to the room opened as the Gears led in their prisoners. They had all taken off their cowls. Beverly looked at him before turning to Caesar unlocking his handcuffs. "So you were telling the truth."

Caesar nodded his head looking at his brother. "Mammy and Pappy designed a failsafe into the Meta Nanites. They were never meant to work with anyone except you Rex. There wasn't time to infuse you with them six years ago. The Consortium was on their way to claim them and Black Knight was going to secure them. I had to cause the explosion. I'm sorry."

"_You're forgiven,"_ Rex said. _"Breach, I need you." _ Breach popped up next to Van Kliess freeing him. He looked up at the teen puzzled. _"I like to make you a deal Van Kliess. You, the Pack, and EVOs not interested in a cure. You rule them in Abysus which is in Breach's pocket dimension. You never attempted to return to Earth and we won't bother you." _

"Why should I agree to this?"

_"There may come a time when a foil like you is needed. Besides, if you don't I can just force you into being normal and lock you up for all eternity."_

"Touché. Very well then I accept." A blue light glowed through his body making it impossible for him to return to Earth without permission. With a final wave Breach took her leave with all the EVOs who wanted to go.

After they left Rex looked at his parents._ "There's something I need to do first. I'll be back in a few minutes I promise." _Not waiting for a response he flew up into the sky as they all evacuated the base wondering what was going on.

* * *

Floating above the Earth Rex used the powers of the Meta Nanites to connect with every nanite network on the planet. He sent out worldwide cure wave all over the planet transforming everyone back to normal. Some people glowed orange instead of blue for a few seconds as the EVO Gears realized what it meant. Once he was done he connected with the Meta Nanites again.

"_Do you have the power to bring back two dead souls for a time?" _

"_Only for a few minutes. Do you wish us to do so?" _

"_Yes." _Rex watched in his little sphere as two forms took shape. Tears where streaming down his face as Rafael and Violeta Salazar formed in front him. _"Mammy, Pappy, Es bueno ver a usted. Aunque no puedo recordar que me he perdido." _

"Oh Rex, we've missed you to," Violeta said. She and her husband hugged him tightly whispering loving thoughts in his ears.

"We're so proud of you son. What you accomplish is nothing short of amazing."

"_I only have a few minutes. I just wanted to see you for once. I need to know. Do you approve of my adoptive parents? What should I do about Caesar?"_

"Oh Rex, who do you think guided you to finding them? We've been watching out for you this whole time. The Hayashi's are so lucky to have you as their son. We'd never pick a family that wouldn't love you as much as we did," Violeta said softly.

"As for your brother, Caesar means well. He's always cared about family he's just forgotten that family is more then blood relations. Make him part of your new one and he'll be okay. Tell him we said hi and approve," Rafiel said.

Both Salazar's started to fade away, but before they did they kissed the teen on his forehead restoring his memory. _"Recuerde que siempre te amará_." Rex watched them go. Turning his attention back to the Earth he flew down towards the base giving the Meta Nanites their final instructions. Deactivate for good

* * *

Everyone was waiting for him as he stopped glowing coming to rest between his parents arms. Lifting his head up to look at his brother, he whispered, "Mammy and Pappy say hi."

Everyone started to cheer that they had finally won the battle. The couples spun each other around kissing. Even Beverly gave Caesar a big kiss on the lips startling him. The EVO members of the Gears used their new control to switch off their power so they could shout in glee with becoming almost normal. Rex broke free from his parents walking over to his brother. Caesar was trying not to cry.

"I'm so sorry Mijo. I thought I was doing the right thing. I should have trusted you with the truth about why I made that deal. I thought if I could use the Consortium's resources I could get my hands on the Meta Nanites and put them in you so this whole disaster could be undone. I was reckless with your life. I apologize. I was wrong about some many things. I know now Mammy and Pappy would love your adoptive parents."

"Caesar, you're not going to lose me now or ever. We've said it from the start, you can be part of this family. My parents can adopt you as well if you want. There are laws that allow it."

"Maybe they won't have to. I do plan on making him part of the family in a few years," Beverly joked earning a look from her sister. "Either way welcome to the family Caesar."

"Can you believe these past few months? Senior year is going to be a cakewalk compared to this!" Noah laughed.

"Are we going to stop being Gears now that the Consortium has been dealt with?" Annie asked.

"Maybe or maybe not," Claire said. The others all laughed in joy wondering what the future did hold.

* * *

About a month later everything had finally settled down. Providence and Hope were still in operation monitoring nanite activity trying to make them work as originally intended. Rylander and Meechum had returned to their families as Caesar moved into the attic of the Hayashi home. The other numbers had officially adopted their kids and were working on humanitarian missions. With senior year in session the Gears had less time for missions, but they hadn't given up the hero work. Being normal was overrated and besides there would always be someone who needed help. As the kids rode their rides through town watched by their family and friends they all wondered what the future would bring.


End file.
